You Made Me Think We're In Love
by DMG5440
Summary: Haruhi is finishing up her senior year of law school & is living with her boyfriend Tamaki. Hikaru and Kaoru are finishing up fashion school. Hikaru still can't seem to forget his feelings for Haruhi. TamakixHaruhixHikaru & MeixKasanoda.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This fanfiction takes place in America. It's Haruhi's fourth year of studying law and is in her senior seminar.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Ouran High School Host Club_. If I did, the ending would've been different.

~...~

**Chapter One.**

~...~

Haruhi walked back to her apartment lugging a bunch of law books. Once she scattered upstairs, since the elevator needed to be repaired, she placed her books down on the ground and started rummaging through her keys. She didn't live on-campus, but she did live under a mile away. She enjoyed walking most of the time; however, since it was the first day of her last semester in college, she wasn't thrilled carrying all of her books from the campus bookstore home. Not only did she not approve of the amount of books she needed for just four classes, but she always hated the price of the books. Even if she had a full scholarship, the prices for books just didn't leave her happy. Even though her scholarship provided an area on-campus to live, Haruhi decided to stop living on-campus after her first year. Firstly, the dorm-life wasn't as good as she predicted it to be. Secondly, her and Tamaki were getting really close as a couple, which had them both come to terms that they would share an apartment near the college. Yet, since Tamaki ended up graduating first, she wondered if he would be forced to head back to Japan. Luckily for them, his family's business was beginning to bloom in America, meaning that he could still live there. Yet, during the Fall Semester, Tamaki informed her that he had a huge project ahead of him, where he had to fly all over America. Understanding the urgency of work, Haruhi wished him well and informed him that she couldn't wait for his return.

With the beginning of this Spring Semester, Haruhi was a bit relieved that Tamaki wouldn't be around, solely for the reasoning that after hearing the fifteen minute lecture of what would be happening for her senior seminar, she needed as much time as possible to just work hard. To be honest, Haruhi was getting sick and tired of school. After all the courses that she's taken, she thought that she would be happier to get closer to her dream; however, in all actuality, she was dreading the thought of becoming a lawyer. She just couldn't bring herself to quit this degree when she was so close to finishing it up. And, the mere thought of her not wanting to be a lawyer pestered the back of her mind a lot. She felt that if she didn't become a lawyer, she would be an eternal liar to her dead mother. Just that thought alone made her work extremely hard.

Once Haruhi located the key to the apartment, she opened up the door and brought her books inside. She placed the books on a table and noticed that the lights were already on. Beginning to get a bit uneasy, she took a small breath, "Is anyone here?" At that instant, she was practically glomped, "HARUHI! I'VE MISSED YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH!"

Her facial features lightened somewhat and a small smile appeared on her face, "Tamaki-sempai... you're home."

He nodded and tightened his grip around her, "I was so glad that we finished the tour early! It's so much work being a busy businessman! How have you been?"

Haruhi's face began to lead into what looked like pain, "Tamaki-sempai... you're hurting me... get off!"

Tamaki immediately released Haruhi, "Ah, sorry sorry. I just missed you soooooooooooooo much!"

Haruhi gave a smile looking at her boyfriend, "I'm doing well. Today began the Spring Semester. My last semester for the BA. I only had one class today... the senior seminar. It lasted for fifteen minutes... but, I'm really going to be working hard this semester."

Tamaki nodded, "Of course of course... you'll do perfect love!" He hugged her again.

Haruhi looked into Tamaki's eyes, "I wouldn't say perfect, but I'm going to do my best."

"Anyways! We should go out to eat tonight!" Tamaki declared happily, "I haven't been with my beautiful girlfriend in a looooooooooong time! So, I made reservations for us at this lovely Italian Restaurant!"

Haruhi smiled, "That sounds good. What's the dress code?"

Haruhi remembered a time two years ago that Tamaki informed Haruhi that they were going to go out to eat. He didn't inform her that there was a dress code at the specified restaurant, so she turned up under-dressed and not allowed in the restaurant.

Tamaki smiled, "Semi-formal. I'll be wearing a suit and tie."

Haruhi nodded, "Alright."

That evening, Tamaki lead Haruhi into a limo. He couldn't wait to bring Haruhi to the Italian Restaurnt. While sitting in the limo, Tamaki eyed Haruhi up and down. She was wearing a very glamourous white sundress with sunflower designs on them. It was simple, yet gorgeous. She wore yellow high heels that each provided a small gem in the center of the straps. Since her hair was back to being long again, she had her hair up. She curled two strands of hair that fell down the sides of her face and had the rest of it up in a simple bun. She accented the bun with a feathery, white hair piece. She had pretty neutral make-up, but made sure to add a touch of yellow to her eyelids to bring out the details of the dress. All-in-all, she looked stunning. Tamaki smiled looking at his beautiful date, "You look gorgeous."

Haruhi blushed a little bit, "Thank you. You look very stunning yourself." Haruhi took notice of Tamaki's appearance. Even though she was used to seeing him look good, she still enjoyed looking. He wore a dark blue suit, a white button-down shirt, black belt, and dressy black shoes. He made sure that his hair was absolutely perfect and spritz just a little bit of cologne to complete his attire.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Tamaki was the first one out of the limo and held his hand out towards Haruhi. She accepted his help getting out of the limo and smiled, "Thanks sempai." Tamaki smiled and handed her a single red rose, "You know that you don't have to address me as sempai anymore."

Haruhi nodded, "I know, but it just doesn't feel right if I don't say 'sempai'."

Tamaki let out a sigh. Even though they've been dating for close to four years now, she still addressed him the same. Tamaki always wanted her to just call him by his first name. But, none-the-less, this was Haruhi. And even though she's changed to a degree over the years after high school, she still had certain quirks. Once reaching the door to the restaurant, a worker opened it and smiled, "Welcome."

The couple walked into the restaurant and Tamaki smiled towards the hostess, "Suoh, table for two." The greeter immediately nodded, "Right this way please."

Haruhi and Tamaki followed the hostess to a table that was right next to a piano. As Tamaki opened up a chair for her, she graciously sat and took in the sight of the restaurant, "Wow Sempai! This is amazing!"

The restaurant was designed differently than the normal Italian restaurants that Haruhi was used to. The rooms of the restaurant each featured a different theme. The specified theme in the room they were in was 'relaxation'. The piano had a pianist playing soft, classical music. The walls were made of the finest stone. Each corner of the room had a gorgeous display of lilacs. Each wall also had a small waterfall that connected to a small koi pond. All-in-all, it was a gorgeous, stress-free atmosphere. Haruhi was very impressed.

After sitting down, the two eyed their menus, "What are you thinking of getting Sempai?"

Tamaki smiled, "For a starter, I was thinking that we could get the caviar."

Haruhi nodded, "That sounds delicious. Wine would taste pretty good with that too!"

"Let's make it a red wine... the most expensive one that the house has!"

Haruhi was a bit uneasy, but none-the-less smiled.

Tamaki smiled and looked at Haruhi and held her right hand, "You really are more beautiful each time I see you."

"Sempai... you're embarrassing me..." Haruhi stated blushing.

"Why should you be embarrassed by truth?" Tamaki inquired as he gently placed a kiss on her hand.

At this small gesture, Haruhi's face was bright red, "Sempai!"

Tamaki laughed, "I find it hilarious that even after all this time, small things like this can embarrass you. You really have changed a lot since high school."

Haruhi glanced down for a moment and then looked into his eyes, "I guess that... you've had that affect on me."

At this point in time, the waiter approached them, "Are you two ready to order?"

Tamaki nodded and smiled, "We will be having your most expensive bottle of red wine along with the caviar appetizer. Following that, I would love to have the lobster raviolli."

Haruhi then looked at the waiter, "I would like the chicken alfredo please."

The waiter took up the menus and gave a small bow, "Of course."

Haruhi then looked back towards Tamaki, "So, tell me about the business trip."

Tamaki smiled, "For the most part, it was rather boring; however, I did get a chance to see our twins!"

Haruhi's interest was perked by this, "You saw Hikaru and Kaoru? How are they?"

Tamaki took a sip of water, since the water was already on the table for them to begin with, "Well, you know how they originally intended to be at the same college as us, right?"

Haruhi nodded, "But this school doesn't have a fashion department, so they decided to go elsewhere... they never mentioned where they went..."

Tamaki continued, "When I was in New York, I caught them both walking down Broadway."

Haruhi's full attention was on the information, "And what were they doing at Broadway?"

Tamaki smiled, "I ran into them when I went to see _The Lion King_! It appears that they both went to the same performance!"

Haruhi frowned, "Enough about _The Lion King_! What about them? What are they up to? Are they in school or what?"

Tamaki was a bit disappointed that Haruhi wasn't interested hearing about the play, but he none-the-less continued, "Well, I flagged them down after the performance and we went out for some coffee. While drinking coffee I found out what was going on!"

The waiter returned with their appetizer and wine at this time. The waiter poured the wine into their glasses and set down the appetizer plates, "Please enjoy." And with that, the waiter left.

Haruhi took a sip of the wine, "And?"

Tamaki took a sip of wine and took a bite of the caviar, "They both are attending an elite fashion school. It's one of the most popular in the world! Not only that, but they both are enjoying it! Apparently, this Spring Semester is their final semester."

Haruhi nodded, "That makes sense... considering that it's my final semester as well."

Tamaki continued, "At their college, the senior seminar is brutal. Apparently, they have to get into a fashion group. Each of the members have their own tasks, but it's extremely important that they work together."

Haruhi spoke up, "So... did they know their group?"

Tamaki nodded, "They got to sign up for their groups at the end of the Fall Semester. Anyways, at the end of the semester, each group has to show off one male and one female model to feature a specific theme that is required for the end-of-semester fashion show. The judges of the fashion show are from all around the world. Even though they don't have to place in the show, they're required to get at least marks of 8 to graduate."

"That sounds brutal. I'm so glad that I'm not in that industry..."

Tamaki continued, "Anyways, each senior seminar member gets two tickets to the fashion show to give away and~ Hikaru invited us!"

Haruhi was surprised at that information, "Hikaru invited us? What about his parents?"

"Kaoru gave the tickets to their parents, so Hikaru decided that he wanted us to go."

"I see... but why us? Why not someone else?"

"Hikaru told me that he definitely wants you to see their finiished designs."

Haruhi sighed, "That doesn't surprise me..."

Tamaki smiled, "Anyways Haruhi... we should go. It's been awhile since you've seen them."

Haruhi nodded, "I look forward to it! It's been awhile since I've seen or talked to my best friends."

Realization then struck Tamaki, "Oh, that reminds me... they both want to know why you haven't been picking up their phone calls..."

Haruhi thought for a minute, "I haven't gotten any calls from... OH WAIT! I changed my phone once I moved here!"

Tamaki laughed, "That explains it... well, I have their numbers for you. They really want to hear from you at some time."

Haruhi nodded, "I'll call them tomorrow."

Dinner proceeded very well. Everything was delicious, then a special Mousse Cake was delivered to their table for dessert. Haruhi's eyes widened as she looked at the whole cake. It was gorgeous, the frosting had simple, yet elegant designs and on top of the cake were two mint leaves with a strawberry in the center. Next to the strawberry was a beautiful diamond ring. The band was white gold, engraved in the band in Japanese was "Itsumademo", which roughly translates to "Eternally" or "Forever". There was a large tiffany-cut diamond. Next to that diamond, there were two small heart-shaped diamonds. Haruhi's breath was completely taken away when she saw it. Her small hands immediately rushed to her mouth.

Tamaki then went over to the pianist and whispered something to him. The pianist then got up and Tamaki sat down. He began playing and singing _Your Song (_composed by Elton John, it's also an awesome song sung in _Moulin Rouge_). Haruhi watched and listened with every ounce of her. She was completely taken by surprise. Once Tamaki finished the song, he walked over to Haruhi, grabbed the diamond ring from the cake, got down on one knee and looked up into her eyes, "Haruhi... we've been through a lot together and I just can't imagine my life without you. So, I would be the luckiest man alive if you agree to marry me."

Tears of happiness began to form in Haruhi's eyes. She slowly nodded her head in agreement, "Yes... I'll marry you."

Tamaki's eyes lit up and he immediately placed the ring on her finger. He then proceeded to pick her up and kiss her. Haruhi kissed back and once the kiss was broken they both smiled.

The rest of the night, they both were extremely happy. After their meal, they both made it back to the apartment, where they just smiled and talked on the couch until they both fell asleep. Life for Haruhi and Tamaki was good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **And so, here's chapter two of _You Made Me Think We're In Love_. Their fourth year of dating and Tamaki pops the question. As for some little things about their relationship, Haruhi and Tamaki are living together; however, just because they're living together doesn't mean that they're sleeping together. I just wanted to get that mentioned. I'm all in favor of Tamaki being a gentleman. I do think that he's the type to wait until after marriage.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Ouran High School Host Club_. If I did... I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

~...~

**Chapter Two.**

~...~

Haruhi awoke the next day to Tamaki bringing her breakfast in bed... or rather, breakfast on the couch. She smiled seeing the meal, yet she would've preferred it being home-cooked. But none-the-less, she loved that he went out of his way to buy breakfast for her.

Tamaki sat down next to her and ate, "After breakfast I have to go to work. I'll probably be in late. So, I doubt that I'll be able to see you before you go to bed."

Haruhi smiled, "I understand. I'm not doing too much anyways... I've got three classes today, then I plan on working on researching for my senior project. Not only that, but I also have all intentions of getting ahead in my other classes."

Finishing up the meal, Tamaki cleared away the dishes. He kissed Haruhi on the forehead and smiled, "I'll see you soon Love."

He then proceeded to head towards the door, when Haruhi got up and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Wait..."

Tamaki turned around, "What is it?"

Haruhi blushed and pulled him into a kiss, "Have a good day at work."

Tamaki's face had the largest grin and he hugged Haruhi, "Thank you! Well, I'm off now!"

Haruhi proceeded to look through her schedule. She groaned knowing that the classes today weren't going to be fun. Not only that, but she wasn't a fan of the professors that she was stuck with. The problem with high level courses is that you can't be picky. It's either sign up for the class or don't. Taking a sigh, she grabbed her books and headed towards the campus towards her 12:30 class.

~...~

**New York, New York.**

Kaoru started knocking hard on Hikaru's door, "Hikaru!"

Frowning, Hikaru stumbled out of his bed and opened the door, "What is it?"

"It's about Jessica!"

Hikaru turned to face the opposite direction of his brother, "I'm not interested in talking about it."

Kaoru stomped one foot, "HIKARU! You have to listen!"

Hikaru started to look through his drawers trying to figure out what he would wear for the day. In a bored tone he responded, "Listening."

Kaoru began, "Jessica told me that you broke up with her because she's not fashionable enough! What kind of lame ass excuse is that?"

Hikaru sighed, "Well, it sure as hell beats the boring 'This isn't clicking' or 'I'm just not into you.', doesn't it?"

Kaoru frowned, "Females are precious Hikaru. You know this!"

Hikaru grabbed a nice pair of jeans out of his drawer, "These will work for today... now a shirt..."

Kaoru rose his voice, "HIKARU! Are you listening?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yes Mother."

Karou glared towards his twin, "You're not being funny."

Hikaru turned around and faced Kaoru, "Kaoru... why does this bother you so much? I'm just not interested in Jessica. It's not a big deal."

Kaoru sighed, "Look... I just think that you should stop dating a new girl each week. It's not fair. They're all nice women too..."

Hikaru frowned, "What's wrong with experimenting with different girls?"

Kaoru turned from his brother, "I know that you're still thinking about Haruhi... it's been nearly four years now Hikaru... and she's been with Tono that whole time... you really need to give up."

Hikaru paused for a minute, then spoke up, "I know Kaoru. And I have moved up... that's why I'm dating all these girls."

Kaoru frowned, "You're not even trying to get to know them."

Hikaru sighed, "Just because you have a healthy relationship going with the cute American bimbo doesn't mean that I'm going to have the same sort of relationship. Besides Kaoru... why do you have to worry so much?"

Kaoru sighed, "You're my twin... of course I worry about you."

Hikaru looked back at Kaoru, "I know... I just... wish that you would stop pestering me each time I break up with a new girl. There just hasn't been anyone interesting enough for me to get serious about. Give it time Kaoru. Right now, I'm more interested in our senior seminar project."

Kaoru nodded, "About that project... we need to talk to Lucio and Miranda about models."

"Good thing we're meeting them today. Let me take my shower and such, then we can have a much needed group meeting."

~...~

Finally Haruhi's last class finished up. It was 7:00 and she couldn't wait to eat dinner. Instead of making something at home, she decided to stop by the local Taco Bell and pick up one of their $5 box meals. Delicious food and easy to eat.

Once she made her way into the apartment, she had no motivation to research. She placed her books down and started to devour a burrito. She then took out a simple sheet of stationary paper and began to write.

_Hey Dad!_

_How have you been? Long time no see~ _

_I figured that I would update you in life. First things first, this new semester is a killer! It's only the second day and I have so much researching to do that it's just not fun! Besides that, I'm happy to tell you that Tamaki-sempai is back from his business trip early! Not only that, but I've got a great surprise for you! I'm... ENGAGED! That's right, Tamaki-sempai proposed to me last night at this gorgeous Italian Restaurant. We haven't started talking about the wedding plans yet, but I'm really excited! After all these years, I'm going to be following in Mom's footsteps! Graduating, becoming a lawyer, and getting married to an amazing man! _

_Well, after this semester's over, I have full intentions of returning back to Japan. I'm going to have to search for an apartment to stay at. It wouldn't be fair to you if I moved back in. lol. Anyways, I can't wait to hear from you. _

_Love you lots, _

_Haruhi._

Haruhi looked over her letter and smiled, "Now to put it in an envelope, then in the mailbox..."

After that, Haruhi recalled the previous night's events. While recalling everything, her eyes widened, "I have to call Hikaru and Kaoru!"

~...~

The meeting between group members took over half the day. Hikaru and Kaoru were glad that they finally finished that session. After eating dinner, Kaoru began to get dressed up. Hikaru looked over at his brother, "Where are you going this time?"

Kaoru smiled, "I promised Rane that I would take her to see _Wicked_ tonight. I probably will be back tomorrow."

Hikaru smirked, "Ah, an all-nighter outing with your date."

Kaoru turned a few shades of red, "You know that we're not doing it!"

Hikaru laughed, "I'm not so sure about that... a grown man staying over at his girlfriend's place... sounds sketchy to me."

Kaoru frowned, "Anyways..." His cellphone began to ring. Kaoru glanced at the number and didn't recognize it. He debated whether or not to answer, but since Hikaru was giving him a hard time, he picked up the phone, "Hello?"

Hikaru figured that Kaoru's girlfriend was on the line until he noticed Kaoru's face have features of shock written all over it. Hikaru was quite curious who was on the phone, but he decided that he would pester Kaoru after the call.

Kaoru didn't want to be on the phone in front of Hikaru at that time, so he went into the other room. "Haruhi! It's great to hear from you! How are you doing?"

Haruhi spoke up, "Kaoru... I've been good... actually, I'm going to call Hikaru next but... I want you to know that Tamaki-sempai and I are engaged now!"

Kaoru practically dropped the phone in shock, "You... You two are? Wow! Congratulations Haruhi! What else is going on?"

Haruhi began to speak about her final semester, about how Tamaki spoke about them. She apologized about having a different phone number and all-in-all, just updated him about her life since she last saw him. Kaoru, in turn told Haruhi about his girlfriend and school. Kaoru noticed the time and suddenly jumped, "Ah, sorry but... I have to go, I'm watching _Wicked _tonight with Rane. I'll talk to you soon Haruhi!" And with that, they hung up.

Kaoru walked out of the room and was about to leave the apartment until Hikaru spoke up, "Who was that?" Kaoru was about to respond when Hikaru's phone went off, "You'll find out." Kaoru then rushed out of the apartment.

Hikaru didn't even bother glancing at his phone. He just picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hikaru? It's Haruhi..."

Hikaru's eyes widened and his heart stopped for a brief second. He didn't know how to respond. Haruhi, the woman that he couldn't stop loving contacted him after so long.

"Hikaru?"

Hikaru finally spoke up, "Haruhi... I've missed you..."

Haruhi smiled softly, "I've missed you too. How is everything in New York?"

Hikaru took a deep breath, "School is good."

"Anything going on? I just got off the phone with Kaoru... he said that he was going out with his girlfriend... what about you?"

Hikaru thought for a moment. What did he want to tell Haruhi? He knew that her and Tamaki were dating, so obviously, his dating status wasn't important to her. Obviously, she was just curious. She just wanted to know things about her friend. He took a deep breath, "I haven't found anyone."

Haruhi's voice was a bit surprised, "Really? There's been no one in your life?"

Hikaru spoke up a little, "It's not that I haven't dated or anything... I've actually have dated 57 women since I last saw you... but, none of them are interesting enough. In fact, none of them suit me. I haven't had a single girl last a week..."

Hikaru hated this topic. He didn't want to talk about relationships, but if that's what Haruhi wanted to talk about, he would certainly talk about it. His heart stung every second on the phone. The fact that he was talking to the only girl that he's ever had feelings for and knew that he could never have her hit him hard. A part of him was happy to hear from her, but the majority of him felt like shit. He didn't think that it would hurt so much just to talk to her.

Haruhi was more surprised with the declaration of 57 women than anything else, "Wow... you've really been busy Hikaru..."

Hikaru let out a small laugh, "Well, it's not like I'm really looking for romance... all I care about is finishing up school and working."

Haruhi was a bit surprised with this information. Hikaru wanted to work. The whole notion of Hikaru and work just didn't sound right to her, but she just smiled. She realized that he's really grown a lot. "Speaking of romance... ummm... Tamaki-sempai proposed to me last night..."

Hikaru's eyes widened. He knew that one day this moment would come but, he felt that it was soon... too soon. "Oh... wow... congratulations Haruhi." He forced the words out of his mouth. Why is it that he couldn't be happy for her? He felt more like shit forcing himself to congratulate her.

"So uhh... when's the wedding?" Hikaru asked, not really wanting to know, but knowing full well that he would end up being there.

"We haven't figured that out yet. Since we just got engaged, we really need to discuss a lot of things."

Hikaru nodded, "I see... I have one request though."

One of Haruhi's eyebrows lifted, "A request?"

Hikaru continued, "I must be the one to design your wedding dress. You can't wear anyone else's dress design."

Haruhi let out a small laugh, "Of course Hikaru. I would love for you to design my dress."

Hikaru let out a genuine smile. The fact that Haruhi openly gave him permission to design the most important dress of her life made him extremely happy. Just then, he knew that Haruhi still thought of him as an extremely important friend. "Oh Haruhi... did Tono tell you about the fashion show?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yup! We're definitely going to go! I looked at the date of the show and luckily for me, it's right after I finish up the semester. So... I'm going to think of it as a gift for finishing my degree."

Hikaru smiled, "I look forward to seeing you again. I'll... I'll definitely show you around New York."

"I can't wait. I can't wait to see you again." Haruhi stated. She didn't think before the words left her lips. She didn't lie, yet, for Hikaru, those small words of her had all the impact in the world. "Well, I have to work on researching some court cases now. I'll talk to you some other time."

Hikaru stopped her before she hung up, "Wait. Can I have your address?"

Haruhi was a bit confused then responded, "Yes, it's..."

~...~

After the phonecall, Hikaru took out five full boxes of clothes. All designs that he had created at his time at school. One box, had an address to Japan. The other boxes, he addressed to Haruhi's apartment. After all, each piece of cloth in those four boxes were each turned into a design to flatter Haruhi. The other box, was a gift of dresses designed solely for Haruhi's father and collegues. Little did Haruhi know that Ranka and Hikaru kept closely in-touch with each other.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **And since I find law school boring... this chapter is devoted to our twins at the fashion school. No Haruhi or Tamaki in this chapter... but they'll be showing up in the next one~

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Ouran High School Host Club_. I wish that I did though...

~...~

**Chapter Three.**

~...~

It had been two weeks since the beginning of the semester and the twins' group still hadn't located their two models. Luckily for them, the senior seminar was a course that was taken by itself and didn't need to meet in-class. All other fashion courses had to be completed before enrolling. The reasoning behind this was because the senior seminar fashion show not only was a huge deal for their grades, but it also was a way to showcase the new talent out there. Basically, it was a huge eye opener for fashion designers to look up who to hire. The senior seminar only had one day of meeting, which was the first day. After that, they had any time to work on their project until the fashion show. Of course, the group's leader had to send e-mails updating the progress of the group to the professor. Each group included four people.

Lucio was a rather short, caucassian man with hazel eyes and dark brown hair who always dressed in Renaissance Era garb. He took a deep breath, "Since the theme is gangsters... maybe we should stop thinking of Italians... perhaps, we should try Yakuza! You two are Japanese! I'm sure that you two know of some people who could be our models!"

The entire group at this point in time were desperate. No work on the senior seminar was getting completed since they didn't have models.

Miranda was a rather tall, skinny Hispanic woman with brown eyes and dyed pink and white hair; she always dressed in extremely poofy lolita-styled dresses, "Yakuza! I didn't even think of that! I'm just always so obsessed with watching _The Godfather_, that I just always think of mobsters being Italian! But you're so onto something darling Lucio!"

Kaoru nodded, "At this point in time, we can't be picky... I just wonder... who would fit in that category?"

Hikaru and Kaoru knew a lot of very well-refined people in Japan. They never really thought much about gangsters when it came to who then knew. But then, suddenly a lightbulb went off in Hikaru's mind, "I know who we can use! Yet! I have to find their contact information and be able to fly them here."

Kaoru smiled, "That shouldn't be a problem Hikaru. We've got plenty of money to get them here. Who do you have in mind?"

Hikaru smirked, "For our male, Bossanova. For our female, Mei."

Kaoru felt a bit dumb for not thinking of them in the first place. Kasanoda had the perfect mobster look. Well, of course he did, seeing as how he was raised in the first place. As for Mei, as much as Kaoru figured that she would be insulted... her ganguro style gave her a creepy vibe in his opinion. So, she definitely could be a yakuza woman. "That's perfect Hikaru!"

Hikaru nodded, "Well, I need you to call Kyoya to get their contact numbers. If anyone has them, he would."

Kaoru nodded, "Of course!"

Lucio looked over at Hikaru, "So... what do you have in mind?"

One thing about being in a group is that each group member has their own specific task. Due to where each person's talent is strongest, determines who does what. Luckily, when this group was formed together, they each had worked together in past classes, so they each knew who was good at what.

Hikaru is the designer of the group, Kaoru is the pattern-designer, Miranda and Lucio mainly sew along with other minor tasks.

All-in-all, being the designer is the hardest task. Firstly, the designer needs to have an idea on the theme. Secondly, the designer much observe what would flatter the models. Thirdly, the designer must figure out how he/she wants the model to look like, including the smallest bits of accessories. Fourthly, the designer must pick the best fabrics. The list can go on and on. One thing about this task is the fact that Hikaru will be designing a theme that he's not used to. That in itself has led him to research many different styles of gangsters. And now, Yakuza is going to be the focus. The one section of gangsters that Hikaru didn't look up was Yakuza.

So, while Kaoru was on the phone, Hikaru took out his laptop and began to research Yakuza fashions. Since this is the senior seminar project, he didn't want the Yakuza-styles to be too Yakuza. He wanted each of his teammates strengths to be displayed the best that he can. So, in order to provide that, he knew that he would have to take some serious time debating how to accomplish this task.

Hikaru sighed, "Well Lucio, I would be a liar to say that I know exactly what to do. Since I haven't seen these two 'models' in so long, it's hard to say what their current appearances are. Yet, I know that we'll be able to pull this all through."

Miranda smiled towards Hikaru, "Say~ how about we interpret a bit of Western and Eastern designs into this. We'll have it predominately Eastern, but with Western flare!"

Hikaru was listening to his members, along with looking up images. _Of course Miranda wants some feeling of Western clothing in this... she's most comfortable with Western designs... as for Lucio... he's really strong at all types of clothing except swimsuits... yet, luckily, we're not designing swimsuits this semester... Kaoru is a master at turning any of my designs into patterns. I just need to do some more research and see my models up close. _

Kaoru finally got off the phone and handed Hikaru a sheet of paper, "Here's the numbers. If anyone can pursuade them in this group... it's you." Hikaru looked over the numbers and nodded, "Well, I'm going to the other room to call. You three can discuss project ideas."

Hikaru walked into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He figured that he would call up Kasanoda first. Not being particularly close to him in the past, he knew one thing that might get him to certainly come.

"Hey Kasanoda, this is Hitacchin Hikaru. Yeah, yeah, it's been a long time. Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. Well... you see, I'm in New York and it's my final semester... I'm in a group and we have to design clothing for a fashion show. And I was wondering if you would be our male model."

Hikaru had a feeling that he would get this response... "No."

Hikaru took a small breath, "Well, I guess that Haruhi will be disappointed afterall."

"Haruhi? What about her?"

"Well, she was so looking forward to seeing the designs, but if we don't have a male model..."

"I'll do it."

Hikaru smirked. He knew that using Haruhi's name would lure him. "Thank you. I'll contact you again with where you're staying and the plane tickets."

After hanging up his cell he laid on his bed. _I wonder if Kasanoda is still interested in Haruhi or if he's given up... I keep telling myself that I've given up... I keep telling myself that I want to stop loving her but... I can't. Every part of me thinks of her... craves her... I just... don't know what to do about this... but rest assured... I will never betray Tono by trying to steal her. Alright, now to call Mei..._

Hikaru looked at the piece of paper with Mei's contact information. He immediately dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mei... It's Hitacchin Hikaru..."

"Oh! Hikaru... it's been a long time... how are you?"

"I'm good just in a bit of a predicament..."

"A predicament? How so?"

"Well... you see..."

Hikaru explained the situation and awaited Mei's response, "I don't know Hikaru... I mean... as much as I love the Hitacchin clothing line... modeling is a bit..."

Hikaru had to play all of his cards, "There's no better model than you for this job!"

Mei was taken aback by the sudden yell over the phone. She was flattered and she felt needed. Not only that, she felt as if Hikaru thought of her as beautiful. She wasn't really into this type of guy but, the way he spoke so urgently in needing her to be his model tugged a little bit at her heartstrings, "Well... if you can't find a better model, then I guess that I have to do it! But... what's in it for me?"

Hikaru didn't expect Mei to be this difficult, "Well, my mother just came out with a new line of clothing and I have a way to get you these clothes free of charge..."

Mei's eyes lit up, "You have my word!"

Hikaru allowed a sigh of relief to exit him. His group had their models. Now, the real hard work can begin.

~...~

After Hikaru delivered the good news to his group, him and Kaoru found flights and a place for their models to stay. They were wealthy men, but they didn't want to separate their models, so... they decided that they would keep them in the same hotel. Kaoru smiled towards his brother, "I'm glad that we can finally work on the rest of the project." Hikaru nodded, "Me too."

"Well, I'm heading off to bed. I didn't sleep much last night." Kaoru mentioned.

Hikaru smirked, "I bet you didn't get any sleep last night... you really need to be careful with Rane's heart. You can't just use her brother."

Kaoru gave a playful frown towards Hikaru, "You're just jealous."

Hikaru laughed, "Good night."

Kaoru went into his room and Hikaru walked into his. Once inside, Hikaru laid down on his bed he then picked up his cell and dialed Ranka's number.

"Hikaru? Is that you calling?" Ranka asked as he picked up his phone.

"Hey... It's me... I wanted to let you know that I sent out a whole package of new clothing for you and your collegues."

Ranka's voice was filled with joy, "You're amazing! How much do I owe you?"

Hikaru laughed, "You know that I'm never going to charge you. You and Haruhi will forever get clothing from me for free."

Ranka smiled, "I still feel guilty not getting you anything."

Hikaru smiled, "It's not a problem. I... I just enjoy making clothes... these are all practice clothes anyways, so it's not like they're designer brands yet."

Ranka laughed, "I guess so, but they'll be designer soon enough! I can't wait for your clothes to become mainstream!"

In the past four years, Hikaru spoke to Ranka more than Haruhi did. Little did anyone know though. Kaoru didn't even know of the bond that Hikaru and Ranka made. It's just that, Hikaru felt that Ranka was a great person. Even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. There was just something about Ranka that drew Hikaru in. Maybe part of it was the fact that Ranka was the father of the woman he loves.

"I can only hope that they become mainstream."

Ranka immediately responded, "They definitely will become mainstream! My entire warddrobe has been replaced with your designs! I refuse to wear the mediocre crap that I used to! Besides... all of my regulars have informed me that I look the best in these clothes."

Hikaru smiled, "That's because I made sure to use colors that would flatter you. Anyways... there's something else that I want to talk to you about..."

Ranka heard some seriousness in Hikaru's voice, which concerned him a little, "What's wrong son?"

Ranka called Hikaru _son _at times, because he became so attached to Hikaru that he created a strong impression on him. Even though Ranka never thought of marrying Haruhi off or anything of the sort, he felt that _son _was appropriate to a man his daughter's age that spoke to him often. Sure, Ranka could consider him a friend, but with the age-gap, he felt that _son_ felt more appropriate. Yet, Ranka only used that word when he knew that something was bothering Hikaru.

Hikaru took a deep breath, "You remember that I told you we ran into Tamaki over the winter?"

Ranka nodded, "Yes, what about that?"

Hikaru continued, "Because of him, Haruhi got my number... she called me recently..."

Ranka's eyes widened with joy, "Oh! My darling Haruhi! Finally back to socializing with people! I was worried that that evil Tamaki was going to keep her locked away forever!"

Hikaru let out a small giggle, "Well, I have her number, I figured that I would give it to you."

One thing that absolutely bothered Ranka after Haruhi left for America was the fact that he never got a phone call. Of course, Haruhi would send him letters and sometimes packages, but it's not the same as being able to hear his daughter. Tears of happiness filled Ranka's eyes, "You're the best son!"

Hikaru told Ranka Haruhi's number then after a small pause resumed, "Well, I spoke to Haruhi yesterday... and well... she informed me that she's engaged."

If an explosion from Mt. Fuji were to errupt in Japan, that would be the ideal time. Ranka was firstly, shocked, but after that, he became extremely angry. Even though Tamaki is a very nice gentleman, he forgot a very important step in the relationship game: One must gain the approval of the father before proposing.

Hikaru didn't hear anything, so he was concerned, "Ummm... Are you still there?"

Ranka then spoke up, "I am... I'm just ready for some blood... that's all!"

Hikaru was intimidated by Haruhi's father and was just glad that he wasn't the man that was on the receiving side, "Oh... one more thing.."

Ranka took a deep breath, "Yes?"

"Could you make sure not to tell Haruhi that I told you? I'm sure that she wrote a letter for you... maybe you should wait to confront her after you get the news?"

Ranka couldn't wait to talk to Haruhi, "Don't worry Hikaru... I won't let anyone know that you told me. However, I can't promise that I won't call sooner than intended."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Aww, poor Tamaki... Ranka's not going to be loving on him right now.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Ouran High School Host Club_. I'm just a fan~

~...~

**Chapter Four.**

~...~

After the call with Hikaru, Ranka hung up and immediately programmed Haruhi's number into his own phone. Then, with a deep breath to calm him down, he dialed.

Haruhi was in the middle of studying when her phone began to ring. Immediately assuming that Tamaki was the one calling, she happily picked up, "Hello?"

"Haruhi!"

"Dad?" Haruhi's voice was one of shock, "How are you?"

"Well, doing very well dear except..." At first, Ranka's voice was that of sincerity and joy, but once he said the word 'except', his voice turned dark.

"Except? What's wrong?" Haruhi asked with pure curiosity.

"Is Tamaki around? Can I speak with my future son-in-law?" Ranka was trying his best not to scream in the phone.

Haruhi let out a small nervous laugh, "Dad... my letter got there so soon? Wow... postal services must be amazing..."

Ranka didn't comment about the letter, mainly because, he hadn't gotten it yet.

"So... why is your voice so... low today Dad?" Haruhi asked, really wondering why he was speaking like a true male.

Ranka then smiled, "Oh Haruhi! Tell your daddy all about the proposal!"

Haruhi blushed at the mention of the proposal. Everything was still fresh in her mind and she found herself thinking about it constantly, "Well Dad, he took me to an Italian Restaurant, he played the piano, had the ring on top of the cake, and proposed."

Ranka could tell that his daughter was rather happy with the proposal, so he couldn't get upset. Yet, the back of his mind was raging with fire, "So, when will daddy get to talk to his new son?"

Haruhi didn't know why her father was pushing on talking to Tamaki so much. Last she checked, Tamaki wasn't his favorite friend of hers to speak with, but... then again, he is going to be marrying into the family, "He's at work right now... Ah! Actually..."

At the time, Tamaki rushed into the apartment and immediately flew over to Haruhi wrapping his arms around her, "Haruhiiii! I'm HOOOOooooooME!"

Haruhi let out a small smile, then looked up at Tamaki, "Phone's for you."

One of Tamaki's eyebrows rose, then he figured that it must've been the twins on the phone, since Haruhi did say that she was going to talk to them, "Hello?"

"Tamaki." Ranka stated coldly, sending a huge cold chill throughout Tamaki's body.

Tamaki let out a small gulp, "Ah... Future Father! How is the weather in Japan today?"

"The weather is nice... HOWEVER."

"However?"

"HOW DARE YOU ASK HARUHI FOR HER HAND WITHOUT CONSULTING HER FATHER FIRST! OUT OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE EVER DONE... THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST! I HATE YOU!"

Tamaki was completely frozen. _How could I forget such an important step? Now Daddy hates me before I'm even in the family! How can I live like this?_

Haruhi looked at Tamaki and immediately recognized his posture. She knew that in a matter of seconds, he would be in a corner of woe. Tamaki dropped the phone, which Haruhi caught, and he slowly walked over to the corner of the room. He took out seeds from his pocket and began placing seeds in a flowerpot that was in the corner, "How could I be so stupid... Father hates me... This is the worst..."

Haruhi placed the phone to her ear, "Dad?"

"Yes sweety?"

"Umm... what did you say to Tamaki-sempai?"

Ranka laughed, "Oh Haruhi! I was just criticizing him for not asking for you hand, that's all!"

Haruhi sweatdropped. Of course something like that would bother her father, yet, what surprised her even more was the fact that Tamaki didn't go out of his way to ask him. She just assumed that when it came to matters this serious, he would take all the right steps. Haruhi sighed, "I understand you being upset Dad but... he probably was so into the idea of asking me that he forgot. He is a complete spazz sometimes..."

Ranka let out a loud cry, "Oh Haruhi! I can't bear to deal with such insulting from my future son! Certainly he MUST make up for it!"

Haruhi frowned, "How do you expect for him to make up for it? I already said yes... he can't do it over!"

Tamaki's ears perked up when he heard 'make up for it', he then proceeded to rush over to Haruhi. He then grabbed the phone, "FATHER! I WILL MAKE A PERSONAL VISIT TO YOU SOON! DON'T WORRY! WE'LL HAVE THE BEST FATHER-SON BONDING TIME!"

Haruhi stared at Tamaki, then hit her forehead with her right hand. Of course Tamaki would want to make things right and of course Tamaki would suggest such outrageous things, "Umm.. Sempai... don't you have work though?"

Tamaki handed Haruhi her cell, "Don't worry Haruhi! I will call in to the office right now and explain the whole situation! They'll understand!"

Haruhi sighed. If this was a normal person, the boss would laugh their asses off and immediately decline time off on such a short notice, but the world that Tamaki lived in was different, so she unfortunately knew that he would be able to get the time off. She then got back on the phone, "Dad, are you still there?"

"Yes love! And I am looking forward to seeing my future son-in-law! Well, you'll have to call me again soon dear! Bye~" and with that, Ranka hung the phone up.

~...~

The next day, Haruhi was woken up by a kiss on the lips. She opened her eyes to see Tamaki there, "Sempai... what are you doing in my room?"

Tamaki looked deep into her eyes, "Giving you a farewell kiss of course!"

She frowned, "I told you to knock before coming in here. We're not married yet, so I'm not comfortable with you in here..."

Tamaki looked like a scolded puppy, "Sorry Haruhi, I just wanted to make sure to kiss you before I left on my trip to Japan..."

Haruhi smiled and then gave him a peck on the lips, "Just remember next time, ok?"

Tamaki nodded, "Of course!" He then proceeded to kiss her again.

Once he broke the kiss, he stood up, "Well, I have to head to the airport. I'll be back in a week."

Haruhi nodded, "Have a safe trip. And tell Dad that I say hi."

Tamaki nodded, "Of course! I'll make sure to tell him!"

~...~

One good thing with Tamaki being gone was that Haruhi could work on her homework without any distractions. Sure, Tamaki sometimes got off late, so she didn't have issues, but the days where he had earlier hours and the days that he had off, he would spend the time pestering her about every little thing.

When her phone went off, she immediately assumed that Tamaki was calling her, "Did you make it there safely? I'm surprised you got there so fast."

The voice that responded wasn't Tamaki's at all, instead it was a female's voice, "Haruhi, it's Mei!"

Haruhi was taken aback by the sudden call from her friend, "Oh Mei! How are you?"

Mei smiled, "Good! I just made it in New York!"

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "New York? Are you on vacation?"

Mei shook her head, "Nope. I'm here for work."

Haruhi was confused, "I didn't know that your type of job was needed in New York..."

Mei laughed, "I quit my part-time job and picked up a semester-long job in New York."

"A semester-long job?" Haruhi was confused, but interested to hear what she was doing, "So what exactly are you doing?"

Mei continued talking as she was flagged down by the twins in the airport, "I'm modeling. Ah, sorry Haruhi... I have to get off now, but I'll call you soon."

Mei hung up the phone and Haruhi stared at it blankly, "That was... a shock."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **And... Kyoya's in this chapter. :D

**Disclaimer: **Istill don't own OHSHC.

~...~

**Chapter Five.**

~...~

Hikaru and Kaoru were waiting for their models to arrive that afternoon. Kaoru was the first one to notice Mei, "Ah! That's Mei!"

Hikaru then turned his attention and noticed Kasanoda, "Perfect! Bossanova's right there too!"

The twins started waving their arms in the air for the two models to witness them.

Mei was the first one to approach, "Ah! Long time no see!"

Kasanoda then appeared, "Hey... so, where am I going to be staying?"

Mei glanced over at Kasanoda and immediately was a bit taken aback by his appearance. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive, she found him fairly attractive, but the problem laid with the fact that he just came off as looking scary. Kasanoda felt the attention from the girl and glanced down at her. A slight blush crept upon his face noticing the low-dipped t-shirt she was wearing that revealed some cleavage, "Nice to meet you, I'm Kasanoda."

Mei let out a smile, "I'm Mei, it's nice to meet you too."

Hikaru then spoke up, "Now that you two have met..."

Kaoru chimed in, "It's good for you two to know..."

"That you'll be sharing the same hotel room!" they finished.

Kasanoda and Mei both turned bright red, "WHA-"

Hikaru continued, "We can't afford for our two models not to know each other. Since, we all are going to be working close together anyways, it only makes sense that you two are living in the same place."

Kasanoda spoke up, "But, why a hotel room?"

Kaoru laughed, "Actually, it's just a hotel room until we have the rest of the small apartment furnished."

Mei let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. No offense to Kasanoda here but... a girl needs more space than just a hotel room... and sharing a hotel room isn't enough."

Hikaru then continued, "Anyways, we've got a car waiting. The car will take you two to your hotel room."

Kaoru handed each of them a small package, "Inside this is all the information that you'll need so far, including the cash for your cooperation for the first week of work. You two will be paid weekly for your services."

Hikaru continued, "Since you just had a twenty hour plane flight, we really need you two to rest up. However, tomorrow at noon, we need you two to meet the rest of the group over lunch."

Kaoru smiled, "We're having lunch at our apartment, the address is in the envelope, so make sure that you two take the subway to get there. Taking a car isn't smart if you want to get places fast."

Mei and Kasanoda nodded and then made their way to the prepared car.

Kaoru looked at Hikaru, "I never thought of it before but... they look good together."

Hikaru smirked, "You're on the same wave-length of me."

Kaoru laughed, "Aren't we always?"

Hikaru smiled, "Guess so."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"Since we're featuring the models out at the same time for the fashion show..."

"I thought so... we're going to make them lovers."

Hikaru nodded, "Not only can their outfits match, but if we have them get romantically involved, it will make our work of art look better."

Kaoru nodded, "Exactly what I was thinking."

With that said, the two of them left the airport and headed back to their apartment.

~...~

Instead of a straight flight to Japan, Tamaki somehow ended up stopping at twelve different countries. He was frustrated, but apparently weather had to deal with the situation. After three days of travel, he finally made it back to Japan and took out his phone, "Kyoya, I've finally landed."

Kyoya smirked, "I've been tracking your flights since you left. I'm waiting outside."

Tamaki immediately rushed out of the airport and hugged his friend, "Kyoya!"

Kyoya let out a sigh, "It's been awhile."

Tamaki nodded, "I have to talk to you! Let's go out for..."

"Breakfast. It's six in the morning."

Tamaki was so confused with the date and time, so he was really happy that Kyoya knew what was going on, "Then, let's get breakfast!"

With that said, Kyoya told his driver to bring them to a rather expensive breakfast joint. Once inside Kyoya informed the waiter that he would like a coffee. Tamaki decided on hot tea.

"So Tamaki, you're officially engaged. Congratulations."

Tamaki beamed with joy, "Thanks Kyoya! About that..."

Kyoya took a sip of his coffee, then placed it on the saucer, "You want me to be your best man."

Tamaki nodded, "Exactly! And another thing..."

"You're here to try to patch things up with Ranka."

Tamaki stared at his friend in disbelief, "You still have your information network! I'm impressed!"

Kyoya let out a small chuckle, "Of course I know this stuff. It's not like I was snooping around for information though... I just so happened to run into Haruhi's father the other day. He was all sorts of upset about what you did."

Tamaki's facial expression turned a bit blue, "What do you think I could do to fix everything?"

Kyoya thought for a moment, then took another sip of coffee, "Well, for starters, it might be a good idea to apologize."

Tamaki listened closely to Kyoya and began to take small notes. Kyoya tried to disregard the fact that Tamaki was taking notes, "After that, it might be a good thing to try to get to know him better. Talk about Haruhi with him. See what the two of you have in common."

Tamaki carefully scribbled down everything then smiled, "You're a genius! No wonder your father let you take over the business! Even though your brothers are older!"

Kyoya smirked, "Not only am I a genius, but I know how people work. So, how's Haruhi? It must be rough on her dealing with wedding plans and finishing up school."

Tamaki's eyes lit up, "Oh Haruhi is magnificent! She's always so adorable and has been wearing lots of cute dresses! Not only that, but her hair has been getting pretty long! She looks like a gorgeous princess!" He immediately took out his phone and showed a picture of Haruhi to Kyoya.

Kyoya twitched, "Nice picture." He didn't want to upset Tamaki, but he was quite irritated that Tamaki misunderstood the question. Not wanting to deal with drama, Kyoya just decided to take another sip of coffee, "So, when's the wedding?"

Tamaki's mouth dropped. Even though he asked for Haruhi's hand, it was just then that it occured to him that they hadn't once spoken about their upcoming wedding, "Well uhh..."

Kyoya smirked darkly and pushed his glasses up his nose, "You haven't decided yet. It's not a big deal Tamaki. A lot of couples take time before knowing. Yet, it will be beneficial for me to know the sooner the better. I'm a very busy businessman now, so knowing when I need to be away from work is extremely important."

Tamaki nodded, "Right... You'll be the first one that I tell then..."

Kyoya smiled, "Good. So, what are your plans for today?"

Tamaki thought for a moment, "I'm going to go straight to see Haruhi's father."

"I see."

~...~

Mei and Kasanoda entered their hotel room and both dropped their bags to the floor.

"You've got to be kidding!" Mei yelled out staring at the one, king-sized bed.

Kasanoda wasn't too thrilled either, but being the man, he spoke up, "Mei... I'll take the floor, you can sleep on the bed."

Mei blushed a bit then smiled up towards him, "Thanks, but I feel a bit guilty now..."

Kasanoda shook his head, "Don't. I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

Mei immediately went to the bed and took off the quilt and handed it to Kasanoda, "Here. It's... it's so that you're comfortable."

Kasanoda smiled towards her, "Thank you. Well, I'm going to try to get some sleep."

Mei nodded, "Yeah... that's... that's a good idea."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Mei and Kasanoda are great characters. Originally, I wasn't going to include them in this series, but I'm glad that I have them here and they're pretty important in this fic now. Always thought that they would be a cute couple.

**Disclaimer: **Istill don't own OHSHC.

~...~

**Chapter Six.**

~...~

The next day, Mei awoke earlier than Kasanoda. She sat up in the King-size bed and looked down at the sleeping man on the floor. She couldn't help but appreciate his gesture of taking the floor. Even though Kasanoda had a scary appearance, she immediately picked up that he was a nice man. She didn't want to disturb him sleeping, so she grabbed her fashion magazine, that she placed on the small nightstand next to the bed last night, up and began to look through it.

Once Kasanoda woke up, Mei smiled towards him, "Good morning." Kasanoda blinked a few times, then turned to look at Mei. He slightly blushed, "Good morning Mei." He couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Sharing a room with a woman that he only met yesterday was a big feat. Yet, with the current circumstances, he couldn't do anything about it. Well, he technically could buy his own hotel room, but didn't want to come across as rude for the room that was given to him. He stood up and smiled, "I'm planning on taking a shower, but if you want to use it first, please, go ahead."

Mei glanced from him back to her magazine and let out a somewhat shy smile, "I take my showers at night... so you're free to take yours. Thanks for the offer."

Kasanoda went through his luggage and located some clothes. He also grabbed his toiletries and headed into the bathroom. Once inside, he began to take a shower.

~...~

Tamaki finally was infront of the Fujioka Residence. His heart was pounding and sweat dripped down his face. This meeting, extremely important, yet... he feared for his life. Ranka wasn't someone who was fond of Tamaki to begin with. However, Tamaki felt that he was starting to get on the good graces of his soon-to-be father-in-law. Obviously, his rankings went down with not asking to wed the daughter. Tamaki gulped and right when he was about to knock on the door, a delivery man came to the door and knocked on it.

Ranka rushed to the door and smiled, "Ahh! My delivery is here!" The delivery man smiled, "Yes, one box today Ranka."

Gleaming with joy, Ranka grabbed the box, shut the door and pranced to the table. He laid the box on the table and began to open it. Inside, there was a letter.

_Ranka,_

_Sorry that it's been a few weeks since I came out with something new. I wanted to make sure to make you the best dress possible! I think that you'll love this. I've been working harder on making frilly dresses. I do believe that Haruhi would look cute in frilly dresses, but that's besides the point. Speaking of Haruhi... No matter what, I will be the one to make her wedding dress. Even if I'm not really for her marrying Tamaki, I want her to be the prettiest bride in the world. Ranka... if anything is wrong, know that you can count on me. We're friends. Even though there's an age-gap, I feel that we're good friends. So, next time I'm in Japan, I want to treat you out to a delicious meal. Of course, you have to promise to wear your prettiest dress! I know that the current news about Haruhi's engagement is a shocker. And to be honest, I'm not happy with it. But... I know that I can't decide who's best for Haruhi. Haruhi must pick who she loves most. A part of me wanted that man to be me... but... she turned me down years ago... Ranka... why is it that I'm hurting now more than ever? Why is it that I've never been able to get over Haruhi? It hurts... I hurt... I don't want to see Haruhi marry one of my best friends. I don't want that... and I know that I'm being selfish saying that. But... no matter what, I will be at the wedding. I will show Haruhi that no matter what, we'll be friends forever. Even if it kills me. Haha, sorry I'm writing so much. It's just that... when I talk to Kaoru about this... he tells me to just get over it. I understand where Kaoru's coming from but... my mind and heart are saying two different things. I think that you understand that. By the way... enclosed besides your dresses... there are two tickets for the fashion show at the end of the semester. I would enjoy it if you and Misuzu could come. Don't worry about the cost of the trip or anything. I promise that I'll take care of it all. There's no point in giving the tickets to our parents since they will be attending anyways. Every year they come to this fashion show. So... I want you two to come. I want your honest opinion on our work. The theme is gangsters... it's a very different type of style than what I like to design, but... we're hoping that it all turns up well. _

_See you soon! Hikaru._

Ranka smiled sadly at the letter. Even though Hikaru never voiced it directly to him, Ranka knew that Hikaru had feelings towards his daughter. A part of him wanted to see Hikaru win over Tamaki, but now... Ranka knew that was extremely difficult. With the engagement, Ranka knew that he eventually would have to play friendly with Tamaki. Yet... Ranka really didn't want to. There were just several aspects of Tamaki that he didn't like. He wasn't really aware why he disliked him so much, other than the obvious reasons dealing with his daughter.

Tamaki was constantly knocking on the door. He wasn't happy that Ranka didn't even notice him there when the package was delivered. And now, he was getting frustrated that Ranka wasn't opening the door, even though he knows for a fact that Ranka's inside. Tamaki was trying his best not to break the door down, but his anger was getting to him. Tamaki knocked... and knocked... each time, the knocking got louder.

Inside the apartment, Ranka was happily looking at the beautiful pink dress that Hikaru designed him. The pink dress didn't have too many ruffles, but enough to make it just right. Ranka loved the hot pink bows that were added to the dress, along with the small areas of light pink glitter. To accompany the outfit, there were hot pink high heels, pink pearl jewelry, and a beautiful pink shawl. Ranka's eyes teared even more once he located the tickets to the show. He was extremely moved. To him, Hikaru felt like a worthy son. Picking up the letter one more time, he read it over. Every part of this letter showed him how much Hikaru cared about both him and Haruhi. Ranka couldn't get over the fact that Hikaru viewed him as a friend, not just someone to win over. Tamaki however, Ranka felt that Tamaki only cared about winning his affections over. So, it was extremely refreshing to hear from Hikaru. Ranka was about to call Hikaru on the phone until he realized that there was really loud knocking at his door.

"Be there in a minute~" Ranka chimed as he placed his arrivals from Hikaru away. _Oh well... I'll have to look at the other dresses later~ I wonder who's here... _Ranka rushed over to the door, fixed his hair, placed a bit of gloss on his lips and smiled as he opened the door, "Well hello!"

Once Ranka opened his eyes, he noticed Tamaki, "Oh... it's you." Ranka immediately glared towards him, "So, what ever would a man who doesn't even ask for the daughter's hand in marriage want with the father?"

Tamaki was sweating even more now. He tried his best to keep his cool but... everything already was starting off bad. Tamaki forced a smile towards Ranka, "I..."

Before Tamaki could speak Ranka continued, "Certainly you're not coming here to inform me that you're going to elope and never come back to Japan! Or! Perhaps you're here to rub it in my face how much you love my daughter? What on earth could Mr. I-Don't-Need-Daddy's-Permission-Man want!"

Tamaki was beginning to shrink. Those words stunk him, "Well I... wanted to..."

Ranka frowned, "Wanted to?"

"Wanted to take you out! My treat!" Tamaki chimed. _This is bad... Haruhi's father hates me! What should I do? _

Ranka observed Tamaki's appearance, "Well, I have to get myself dressed up in that case. With you being so formally dressed... If I knew that I was going out with such a formally dressed man, I would've prepared myself earlier! Now I have to rush to look my best!"

Tamaki noticed that he was now speaking with spite in his voice. Yet, he wasn't aware of what he would do.

"Well, come in and sit. With rushing, I'll be at least an hour to get ready!"

Tamaki couldn't believe that it would take a whole hour just for a guy to get dressed. He wanted to object, but knew that at this point in time, that would be an awful thing to do. Tamaki instead, gave a charming smile, "Of course, I apologize for making this last minute. Yet, I would hate to have you rush... please, take all the time in the world to get ready. Also, I brought a housewarming gift."

Ranka walked over to Tamaki and took the palm-tree that he had out of his hands, "My... how thoughtful..." Tamaki wasn't sure if Ranka was grateful or not for the gift, but he hoped that it was at least a good gift. Ranka then gave a smile, "Thank you for the gift. I will take at least three hours to look my best! Please, make yourself comfortable!"

Tamaki's face turned blue. He would have to wait at least three hours! He looked around the apartment room. There was nothing that he could entertain himself with. Sighing, Tamaki just sat at the kotatsu and stared at the wall blankly.

~...~

Kasanoda and Mei arrived at the apartment the twins were staying at. Once there, Kaoru smiled, "Ah! You made it, come in! We have quite the briefing for you two!"

Kasanoda and Mei were lead by Kaoru to a room, "This is Lucio, he's our gay member of the group. That's Miranda, she's crazy. And you both already know us."

Mei smiled towards the group, "My name is Mei... it's pleased to meet you all."

Kasanoda was under the impression that all the men in the room were gay... except for him. It made him a bit uncomfortable, but he decided to shrug it off, "I'm Kasanoda. Nice to meet you." Kasanoda always thought that Hikaru and Kaoru were gay, since he had seen the brotherly love act so many times. Yet, he knew that both of them had no interest in him... mainly because, he figured that they were into each other. The thought itself was disgusting to him, but after his first year, got used to the thought. This Lucio guy on the other hand... he noticed immediately that he was checking him out.

Lucio smiled and sat down next to Kasanoda, "My my... you look stunning in that coat. Have you ever thought of wearing Renaissance apparel?" Kasanoda shook his head, "I... I'm not interested in fashion..." Lucio shook his head, "Ahhh, that's such a shame. But at least we get to _use you_ for this fashion show." When Lucio said 'use you', a huge chill ran up Kasanoda's spine.

Hikaru sent Lucio a warning glance, "Ahem! Let's begin the meeting!"

Everyone sat down, except for Hikaru, who was briefing the group, "The theme of this year's fashion show is _Gangsters_. Instead of the typical gangsters that are thought up by mostly everyone, we're going to feature _Yakuza_. However, to make it extremely fashionable, we're doing a twist: _Romantic Yakuza._ This is our personal theme! Since romance is highly wanted by the mass popularity, it's best to keep in mind that we're doing a softer yakuza style. Our colors will be that of which females associate romance with. So... what I have in mind is this!"

Hikaru took out a few large posterboards. There were specific designs on each one. "These posters will be for the female. Notice the feminine colors that I have chosen. Whereas, these posters are for the male. The colors are bolder and more manly, but still match the female, giving a romantic feel. Our concept will show a blossoming love in all the dark hours of the night. A romance that is pure, even though they both are harboring in their dark family ties. Any questions?"

Mei and Kasanoda were beyond confused with what was going on. They both understood the concept of yakuza, but the whole romance thing wasn't making sense to them. Yet, they both figured that it all will be spelled out for them once the costumes were made.

Lucio spoke up, "I absolutely love this idea Hikaru! The idea feels so taboo, it makes my heart race!"

Kasanoda shuttered hearing Lucio's words. The word 'taboo' resulted in a smile from Lucio towards Kasanoda. Kasanoda forced himself to stare at the posters, trying to forget about the homosexual male who's interested in him.

Miranda smiled, "Oh Hikaru! You're brilliant! Only you could turn something so scary into a gorgeous story! Bravo! Bravo!"

Mei couldn't figure out what was so brilliant behind it all, "Umm... what makes this all romantic? I mean... just having colors isn't going to portray that theme very well..."

All of the group members frowned. Kaoru then spoke up, "Mei... it's not just about how the clothing is constructed. The models are a huge part of this!"

Mei blinked a few times, "Hold on... you mean..."

Hikaru smirked, "It means that you and Bossanova here are going to portray a happy, yet conflicted love story."

Kasanova then spoke up, "Hold on... so you want us to act out a scene?"

Hikaru shook his head, "Wrong. You two aren't going to be acting out a scene. It's a catwalk; however, you two must look like lovers."

Kaoru chimed, "So~ we hope that you two spend lots of time together!"

Hikaru continued, "Don't worry about it... you'll have plenty of time to build up chemistry."

Miranda smiled, "Besides, we have a top-professional coach to teach you two how to catwalk properly. She'll be coming in next month though."

Hikaru nodded, "Yes, so for the time being, I want you two to work on getting to know each other. I'm not asking you two to fall in-love, but I'm asking that you two become close enough friends to be able to work off of each other."

Kaoru smirked, "Though, falling in love with each other would benefit us a lot more."

Lucio frowned, "But Kasanoda wouldn't go for that girl!"

Miranda stiffened a giggle, "Ooooh? Is Lucio interested?"

Lucio's face turned bright red, "Well... he's muscular... and cute... yet a bit frightening... that's definitely... MY TYPE!"

Kasanoda shuddered again. He was extremely uncomfortable and was now beginning to think that this whole modeling business wasn't worth it after all. Yet, he was here and promised to go through with it. Once a yakuza man gives his word, he follows through. Even though people don't always believe that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything...

~...~

**Chapter Seven.**

~...~

Tamaki sat for four hours and thirteen minutes, when Ranka finally came out completely dressed. Ranka decided to show off his lovely new dress. Tamaki immediately stood up and smiled towards Ranka, "You look..." _Hmmm... if I say lovely, will that come across strangely? But, if I say handsome, he might get angry with that too... yet, I must comment on his looks! If I don't comment on his looks then I'll be even more hated, which is worse than before. It's bad enough that I've been disliked for this long... yet, I must ensure him that everything is alright! I must inform him that I love Haruhi more than anyone else in the world! Alright! Let's give him an awesome comment! _"radiant in that gorgeous pink dress! Your eyes sparkle as if a heavenly angel has appeared! No one could ever look as radiant as you Father!"

Ranka was taking in all of the praise until the last sentence. His eye twitched, "No one could ever look as radiant as me?"

Tamaki nodded, "Of course! You are amazing! Spectacular! Fabulous!"

Ranka grabbed his matching pink purse (which also was made by Hikaru) and slung it on his left shoulder, making sure to hit Tamaki in the face with it, "Oh my... I'm so... terribly sorry Tamaki... I didn't realize that my purse could do such damage!"

Tamaki knew that the hit with the purse was on purpose, which only lead him to believe that Ranka wasn't appreciative of his praise. He immediately thought to himself what all he said.

Ranka frowned towards the deep-in-thought man, "Well, are we going or aren't we?" Tamaki was immediately thrown out of his thoughts when the irritated voice spoke up, "Ah, let's go! I have the best possible place to take you to!"

Ranka didn't even bother to look at Tamaki and began walking to the front door. Once at the front door he stopped, "Well... a true gentleman will OPEN the door..." Tamaki's face turned blue. Once again, he screwed up, resulting in him believing that Haruhi's father hates him even more, "Ah! Coming!"

Tamaki ran to the door to grab it, when Ranka opened it himself, allowing Tamaki to collide into the door. "Ow..." Tamaki began to rub his face, "That hurt!"

Ranka turned around and looked at Tamaki, "Well, well... are you not interested in taking me out? I thought that we were on a time schedule."

Tamaki decided to ignore his stinging face, "Ah! Allow me to show you to the limo!"

Ranka took a deep breath, "A limo... well... where is it?"

Tamaki was getting extremely annoyed, but refused to let it all get to him. He was determined to have everything work out for the best. "Allow me to lead you there."

Ranka followed Tamaki to a limo. Once there, the driver opened the door for Ranka and Tamaki. Ranka smiled charmingly towards the driver, "Why thank you!"

Once inside the limo, Tamaki looked at Ranka, "That dress flatters you nicely..."

Ranka smiled, "Well, of course it would!"

Tamaki was trying to get on the good graces of Ranka and the only way he could bring up a conversation was the current attire. Mainly because, Tamaki was going to wait until Ranka calmed down some before bringing up Haruhi, "That style is nice, what brand is it?"

Ranka laughed, "Of course someone as untrained as you couldn't even pick up who created such a gorgeous dress!"

Tamaki cocked his head to the side, "Uhhh... actually, I'm pretty good with brand names but... I don't know who made this..."

Ranka glared towards Tamaki, "You should be ashamed! Anyone who's anyone would recognize a gorgeous original piece by Hitachiin Hikaru!"

Tamaki's eyes widened, "Hikaru? He... he made that for you!"

Ranka smiled, "Ah, of course. I hear from him and Kyoya constantly. Hikaru loves sending me gorgeous dresses in my size. He personally makes them himself!"

Tamaki's face turned a bit dark. He wasn't happy with the fact that Hikaru, one of the devils, would be in contact with Ranka. "You... hear from Hikaru a lot?"

Ranka knew that this was getting to Tamaki. Since this was such a bother to him, he smiled, "Of course! I think of Hikaru as one of my best friends! He's a splendid young man! He also has agreed to learn the ways of being an okama when he comes back!"

Tamaki's eye twitched. Even though Hikaru never agreed to such terms with Ranka, Ranka wanted to torture Tamaki a bit. Yet, not everything said was a lie. Tamaki then clenched his fist together, "Father! Please allow me to learn the okama ways!"

Ranka smirked darkly, "Oh? Do you really think that you have what it takes?"

Tamaki nodded, "Yes! I'll do anything!"

Ranka was beginning to be pleased, "Are you serious? I can't have a half-assed wanna-be under my wing..."

Tamaki nodded, "I won't let you down Father!"

Ranka smiled, "Well then~ your training will start now! First things first... don't address me as 'Father', you shall address me as 'Mother'!"

Tamaki nodded, "Yes Fa- I mean... YES MOTHER!"

When the limo stopped, the driver opened the door. Tamaki looked at Ranka, "We have arrived!"

Ranka smiled, "It appears so... well, subordinate! Lead the way."

Being called 'subordinate' made Tamaki feel bad. He wanted a way to get along with Haruhi's father, not become a 'subordinate'. Yet, this was the first step in winning over Ranka. Tamaki made sure to open the door for the restaurant, "After you, Mother."

Ranka couldn't help but enjoy this, "Subordinate! Get us a table!"

Tamaki nodded, "Yes Mother! I have a reservation for us!"

~...~

After a long day of studying, Haruhi looked at the clock. She wanted to talk to Tamaki, but knew that it wasn't a good idea due to the time difference. Instead, she picked up her cell and decided to call Hikaru.

Hikaru picked up his cell to see who it was. Once he noticed that Haruhi was calling, he excused himself from the living room, where everyone was and walked into his room. He smiled as he answered the call, "Hello?"

"Ah... Hikaru... how are you?"

"Doing well Haruhi... you?"

Haruhi paused for a little while before answering, "I'm... doing alright."

Hikaru could tell that something was wrong, "Haruhi... what's wrong?"

Haruhi sighed, "There's nothing wrong. I just... am a bit... bored..."

"How's Tono?" Hikaru asked, wondering why Tamaki wasn't entertaining the bored girlfriend.

Haruhi frowned a bit, "He's in Japan... he decided to visit my father..."

"Oh..." Hikaru said blankly, not really sure how to react to that. _I'll have to ask Ranka about all this sometime..._

Haruhi then changed the subject, "So Hikaru, how's your senior seminar going?"

Hikaru smiled, "Pretty good. I've been working on the designs for our project. We all have been talking about it a lot. It's a lot of work but, it's good. How about you?"

Haruhi laid down on her bed, "Well... it's not that it's awful... it's a lot of work and... I just... am beginning to lose some interest in this actually..."

Hikaru was surprised with the honesty of losing interest, "Ehhh, not interesting enough anymore?"

"Well... I guess that I never really thought about it beforehand. I've always laid out the goal that I want to be like my mother... I want to be able to help people by becoming a lawyer... yet... now that I'm so close... after being a lawyer in multiple mock-trials and such... I just... don't really enjoy it. But, it's alright."

Hikaru wasn't really sure what to say, but before he noticed, he began to speak, "Haruhi... maybe you don't need to become a lawyer to be like your mother... maybe, just maybe your mother will be happy if you find something that you like doing for yourself."

Haruhi pondered that for a moment, "But... my dad might get upset with me if I quit... and... I really want to finish the degree..."

Hikaru nodded, "I understand. I mean, after you finish the degree... just because you have the qualifications doesn't neccessarily mean that you must become a lawyer. Sure, you can be a lawyer, but if that doesn't make you happy in the long run, you should find something else. Not every job out there needs a specific degree."

Haruhi smiled, "Thanks Hikaru... that really lifted up my spirits some. Oh... and... I wanted to let you know that I got the packages... there's a lot of clothes in there. I appreciate the gifts but... there's no reason for you to give me these."

Hikaru shook his head, "There's a reason! I made each one of those dresses especially for you."

Haruhi got off her bed and began to look at the dresses, "Eh? You made these?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yes, I made each of them. Since I'm not the designer for mother's company, I can't just get them all mass-made... besides, they're special dresses that are for you and only you."

Haruhi was touched and a bit annoyed, "But why did you make me so many? I really... don't think..."

Hikaru laughed, "Haruhi... we're friends. You're my only real friend besides Kaoru... do you really need a reason why I would give you a gift?"

Haruhi looked down at the ground, "No but..."

"No 'buts' Haruhi. Just accept them. I'm not saying that you have to wear them or anything... though, I'd be happy if you did."

"Thank you Hikaru. I don't know how I can repay you..."

Hikaru frowned, "I don't want anything in return! Just be yourself!"

Haruhi laughed, "I guess. So... I want you to know that I'm looking forward to seeing the fashion show..."

Hikaru smiled, "I look forward to seeing you there. I want your honest opinion on the outfits. Oh... and Haruhi?"

"Hm?"

"When is your wedding? I want to make sure to have your wedding dress done beforehand so that we don't have any problems."

"Oh... well... we haven't decided yet... but it's not anytime soon. So, you don't have to worry about the dress at least until after graduation."

Hikaru nodded, "Ok."

~...~

Tamaki sat across from Ranka in a very high-class Chinese restaurant. While eating and drinking in the restaurant, Tamaki finally got the courage to bring up a different topic, "I want you to know that I had no intentions of going behind your back and asking Haruhi to marry me. I... I guess that you could say that how amazing Haruhi is blinded me from going to ask you and I apologize sincerely."

Ranka seriously listened to Tamaki and gave him a small smile, "I can understand... My adorable daughter is too cute! She can blind anyone!" Tamaki nodded, "Definitely! Oh oh! Let me show you this!"

Tamaki quickly took out his cellphone and showed Ranka a picture of Haruhi in a cute dress, "Isn't she adorable?"

Ranka was thrilled, "Ahhhh! Haruhi! So cutttttttteeeeeeee~!"

Tamaki smiled, "I have more! Take a look at this one! Ah! I'll get a printer and print you some high quality versions of these!"

Ranka was squeeling like a fangirl. Tamaki and Ranka's dinner session turned into a hard-core fanning session.

Once dinner ended, Ranka looked at Tamaki seriously, "Are you prepared?"

Tamaki cocked his head to the side, "Prepared for what?"

"The ways of becoming a successful okama. Your true training starts now!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything... except my original characters...

~...~

**Chapter Eight.**

~...~

Ranka and Tamaki went back to the Fujioka residence after dinner. Tamaki was excited, thrilled, and scared about the training that Ranka had set before him. He was excited because this was the ideal way to get on the good side of his future daddy. Thrilled, because he's never endured training for such a task before. And, scared, because he had no clue what he was in for. Yet, he knew that no matter what, he would make progress.

Ranka grabbed a cassette tape and went over to a cassette player. Tamaki eyed the cassette tape with confusion, but didn't think to inquire about it. Instead, he watched Ranka's every move.

"Tamaki. One very important step to becoming a fabulous okama is to learn how to dance!" Ranka mentioned as he placed hte cassette tape into the player. "This tape, has the most popular tunes for okama... one can't become an okama without knowing these tunes!"

Tamaki nodded, "This should be simple! I'm very skilled in ballroom dance." Ranka frowned, "Ballroom dance isn't needed for this kind of dancing... Observe once, then after that, you must figure out the way to dance!"

Ranka pressed the play button of the cassette and the song _Girls Just Want To Have Fun_ began to play. Ranka started off by spinning a couple of times, then he started to go everywhere from pelvic thrusting to shimmying to shaking his butt. Tamaki watched closely, a bit intimidated by the performance infront of him. He wasn't exactly sure what to think of this, but he knew that no matter what, he would have to become the perfect dancer in order to win Haruhi's father's favor. Ranka finished his dance and smiled refreshly, "Your turn."

Tamaki nodded as he stepped to the middle of the room. Ranka pressed play on the cassette player and the music began. Tamaki thought for a second, then he started to move his arms in circular movements. After that, he took three steps forward, clapped, then took three steps back and clapped. He then jumped up and down while spinning. Tamaki felt as if he was capturing the song perfectly. Yet, in the middle of the song Ranka pressed stop, "That sucked."

Tamaki's face was evident of shock, "It... sucked?" He couldn't believe that he was that awful at such a distasteful dance. Ranka nodded, "It was absolutely awful. It's obvious that you're a male who doesn't have any feminine charm!"

It felt as if an arrow struck Tamaki's heart. He couldn't believe a word coming out of Ranka's mouth, "Master! Please teach me how it's done!" Ranka took a deep breath, "One more time, then you should try to figure out the trick on your own."

~...~

Mei stared at Lucio, who was eyeing Kasanoda, "Umm... Lucio... I think that you're making him uncomfortable..." Lucio glanced over at Mei and smirked, "If he's so uncomfortable he'll say something. Otherwise, I'll gladly fawn all over his masculine features! Dont' you think that he's a gorgeous specimen to look at?" Mei looked over at Kasanoda and a small blush crept up on her face, "Well... he's definitely... umm... the perfect model..." Kasanoda listened intently and a blush began to appear on his face as well.

Kaoru placed down a large plate with cut-up cheese and crackers, "A snack... if anyone's interested." Miranda immediately rushed to the table and grabbed some cheese and crackers, "Yummmm! Oh Kaoru! You're fabulous! Can I marry you?" Kaoru laughed, "Now you know that I'm dating Rane... besides, cheese and crackers aren't a good reason to get married." Miranda laughed, "True true. But~ you do know that I like you." Kaoru sighed as he took a sip of some soda, "Miranda... we've already been through this conversation... besides, why don't you try dating Hikaru? He's single." Miranda shook her head, "Never ever!"

Kasanoda and Mei looked at Miranda, both quite surprised with the answer. Kasanoda then decided to speak up, "Why not? They both look the same. They have relatively similar traits too. The girls at Ouran could never tell them apart..." Miranda frowned, "Kasanoda. Just because they look the same and have some similar traits doesn't mean that they're basically the same! Hikaru and I don't have a thing in common. Besides, I'm not interested in a playboy." Mei let out a giggle, "A playboy? Hikaru?" The door to Hikaru's room opened up and he walked back into the room, "Hm? Is something going on?"

Kaoru shook his head, "It's nothing Hikaru... we're just talking about the cheese and crackers." Hikaru looked at the table, then sat down, "Anyways, now that we have the measurements of our models, we're good. So... Mei and Kasanoda, I would highly encourage that you two get to know each other better. We'll keep in contact for the next time we need you." Mei and Kasanoda nodded. Kasanoda then spoke up, "Ah, and about the status on the apartment..." Hikaru looked at Kaoru, who shrugged, "We haven't gotten it finalized yet..." Lucio then jumped up, "Ah! I have two spare rooms! They can stay at my place!" Kasanoda's face turned blue and Mei smiled, "That sounds splendid!" Hikaru and Kaoru both spoke in unison, "That's perfect!"

~...~

Mei and Kasanoda grabbed their items from the hotel and met Lucio. Lucio eyed Kasanoda and gave him a charming smile, "Please follow me, we're not far." The two nodded as they followed Lucio. After five minutes of walking, they found themselves in front of a large mansion, "This is my house. I inherited it when my parents died. Anyways, allow me to show you both around. Also, I would love to show you to your rooms." The two nodded as they followed Lucio.

~...~

Three weeks later, Tamaki finally returned back to America. He happily made his way into the apartment that he and Haruhi shared, "Haruhi! I'm back!" He immediately glomped her. Haruhi frowned, "Tamaki-sempai, I'm working on my senior seminar project..." Tamaki felt a bit of pain in his chest, then smiled, "Sorry Haruhi. Allow me to make up for my actions of bothering you tonight." Haruhi glared towards him, "No. I have to get some of these turned in by tomorrow. I don't have time to be playing around tonight." Tamaki looked at the floor hurt, "Sorry Haruhi... It's just that... I miss you..."

Haruhi could hear a bit of sadness in her voice, "Well, I guess I can take a small break." She placed her work to the side and then gave a heartwarming smile towards Tamaki, "Welcome home Tamaki-sempai." Tamaki began to cry tears of happiness. He then embraced Haruhi in a hug. Once he broke the hug, he looked into her eyes and began to move his lips towards her. Before he could kiss her, Haruhi spoke up, "What's with your strange getup?"

Tamaki immediately jumped up and looked at what he was wearing. He had on a purple dress, white tights, sandles, and a blond wig. "Well... you see... uh..."

Haruhi laughed, "Are you really trying to become my father now?" Tamaki shook his head, "NO! I... I love you on a completely different level! I... I can't revert back to thinking of you as a daughter!" Haruhi laughed louder, "I know Sempai... I know. I was just teasing you." Tamaki sat down on the couch next to her.

Haruhi took one of his hands and smiled, "I think that I can honestly say that I'm not going to be into this style of yours." Tamaki stood up again, "Ah! I look stupid, don't I?" Haruhi shook her head, "You don't look stupid Sempai... It's just that... you really can pull off looking like a girl... it's a bit scary..." Tamaki smiled, "YES! I KNEW THAT I COULD FIT INTO THE CROSS-DRESSING CROWD LIKE YOUR FATHER!" Haruhi sighed, "Do I even want to know?" Before Haruhi could protest hearing the entire story behind him cross-dressing, Tamaki already started explaining.

~...~

Kaoru placed his hand on Hikaru's right shoulder, "Hikaru... you really need to let Haruhi go." Hikaru shook his head, "I already told you that I can't." Kaoru frowned, "Even if you two are talking on the phone... even if she shows up at the fashion show... you've already missed your chance. She's marrying Tono." Hikaru placed his hands on his face in frustration, "I know that I have a small chance but... I haven't lost until she actually marries him. I... I still have a chance with her." Kaoru sat down next to him, "Your feelings for Haruhi haven't changed at all after these years..." Hikaru didn't respond. Kaoru continued, "Going down this path is going to be a hard one." "I know Kaoru... but all I want you to do... is to just be there for support."

Kaoru then embraced his brother, "I'll always be here for you Hikaru... even if we're on separate sides of the earth... I'll always be here for you... even if I'm not around, I will forever be in your heart. Just like how you're in mine." Hikaru let out a small laugh, "That was one of the cheesiest things that I've ever heard you say." Kaoru smirked, "Yeah... but you know that it's true." "Yeah, I know."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything... except my original characters...

~...~

**Chapter Nine.**

~...~

The next few months went by like a blur. The next thing Haruhi noticed was that it was the end of the semester.

Tamaki had felt a bit shunned ever since he came back from Japan. Haruhi was on a full-set mode of school. Of course, he understood, but when he was taking his final classes they didn't seem to take up half the amount of time that Haruhi spent. During those months, Tamaki seriously began to rethink his relationship. He knew that he was madly in love with Haruhi, but the way that she had been acting... he was beginning to wonder if she was still in love with him. Yet, he knew that she must still love him since she did agree to marry him. This inner turmoil was awful for Tamaki, but he figured that once her semester of school was over, everything would be absolutely perfect.

Haruhi woke up. It was finally the last day of her schooling. She took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. Walking to the kitchen, she smiled seeing a small note from Tamaki: _I will give you the best possible celebration for completing your degree! You can do this Haruhi! I have faith in you! Love you lots~ Your Faithful Fiance Tamaki! _Haruhi picked up the note and hugged it, "You really care too much Sempai..."

As she began to walk to school, she felt a bit nervous. Tamaki was at work, so she knew that she couldn't bug him. Yet, she wanted to talk to someone and without her realizing it, she dialed Hikaru's number.

Hikaru hadn't slept for two weeks straight. The most sleep he ever got was a ten-minute power nap. Since the end of the semester was nearing, he was making sure that the yakuza-inspired costumes were near perfection. Yet, he knew that he still had a lot of work. He constantly spoke to his entire group, including the models about everything. While he was in the middle of discussing hair-fashion for Mei, his cell began to ring. He wasn't really in the mood to talk, but picked up the phone regardless, "Hello?"

Haruhi took a deep breath as he answered the phone, "Hikaru... is this a bad time?"

Hikaru shook his head, "NO! No, you're fine... we can talk." He looked at his group members and mouthed 'I'll be back in a bit.' With that, he walked out of the apartment and began to take a walk. Since he was on the phone, he figured that it would be a good idea if he went out and bought some food for everyone, "You sound stressed... are you alright Haruhi?"

Haruhi let out a small breath, "Today's my last day... I'm... I'm really nervous..."

"Haruhi, you'll be fine. Don't let your nerves get to you. You've been working extremely hard all semester. All you have left is a presentation... you're really _amazing _at presenting."

Haruhi's lips began to form a small smile, "Thanks Hikaru. I'm sorry that I've been calling you constantly to rant about my projects..."

Hikaru shook his head, "Don't be. In return I've been complaining about mine to you."

She laughed, "That's true. It's just that... for some reason... I can't allow myself to show Tamaki this overly stressed side of me..."

Hikaru was a bit surprised with that confession of hers. He was silent for a few seconds, then spoke up, "It's hard to show flaws in front of the one you love..." His heart sunk as he said that.

Haruhi was silent.

"Haruhi? Are you still there?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yeah... sorry, I kind of took those words to heart... You know Hikaru... you really deserve a wonderful woman."

Hikaru sighed, "I don't."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"

"My heart won't allow anyone else in... I've tried."

Haruhi wasn't really sure what he meant by that, so she let out a small laugh, "You're just being hard on yourself Hikaru. It will happen though. One day, you'll be with one of the most amazing girls alive. And, I will root for you."

"Haruhi... what if I've already found that woman?"

"That would be great Hikaru."

"But that woman... the only one that I love... I can't have."

"Why not?"

"She's in love with someone else..."

Haruhi could feel a bit of hurt in his voice, "Hikaru..."

Hikaru stopped walking and looked at the sky, "Is it wrong that I still want a chance with her?"

"There's nothing wrong with that but... you really can't make a move or anything, can you?"

Hikaru shook his head, "I know... and what's worse is that she's with a very good friend of mine... so... I just want the both of them to be happy."

Haruhi stopped walking. A small lightbulb came into her mind, "Hikaru... by any chance... are you... still in love with me?"

And there it was. The question that Hikaru wasn't sure if she would ask or not. He was silent. He didn't know if he should be truthful or not. Then again... it was Haruhi.

"I... am... but... don't worry Haruhi... I wish for you and Tono to be happy."

Something inside of Haruhi's stomach felt bad. She wasn't really sure why this news was affecting her so much. It was easy to be with Tamaki... it was easy because they weren't near any of their friends. It was easy because her father wasn't anywhere nearby. Everything between her and Tamaki was simple. They were in a routine. And, the both of them felt that everything was natural. Yet, once Haruhi reconnected with the twins... even though it was just on the phone... something that was lost inside of her came back. She wasn't really aware of what it was. Yet, it was important. She figured that since they were her best friends during high school that of course she was missing something. But hearing Hikaru speak like this bothered her. A part of her was happy that he still loved her. That in itself made her sick to her stomach. She shouldn't be happy that another man is still romantically in love with her. Yet, thinking of Hikaru not loving her made her feel even sicker. So, she figured that she wouldn't dwell on it. She would just move forward and see where everything went.

Haruhi then looked at the building in front of her, "Hikaru... I have to present now. I'll be coming to New York soon, so we definitely need to hang out when I'm there."

Hikaru nodded, "Most definitely Haruhi."

With that said, they both hung up. Both of them not really sure how to feel about that conversation. It was... a bit... awkward.

Hikaru took a deep breath and walked inside of the Dunkin' Donuts. He then proceeded to make a large order.

~...~

Within the past few months, Kasanoda and Mei had gotten closer. Yet, only Lucio knew how close they have gotten. Since they were living together in his house, he could monitor everything. Since the twins wanted Kasanoda and Mei to seem like a couple, Lucio would try his best to set them up. And... it worked. After three weeks of living together, Kasanoda and Mei began to officially date. At first, things were a bit awkward around them. But as time went by, they became natural and even went as far as spending the night in each other's rooms. Lucio of course, kept the sleepovers as a secret. He knew that if the twins and Miranda knew about this development that they would get distracted about the final project.

Kaoru was closely observing Mei, "Alright, once I add this shimmering light pink gloss on, your look should be complete." Kaoru finished up her makeup and smiled, "Finally." Lucio smiled widely seeing Mei, "She looks like a gang's princess." Kaoru nodded, "Gorgeous, yet fierce. Just the image that we wanted to portray." Lucio nodded, "The only problem is the hair." Kaoru looked at Lucio, "Do you have an idea for it?" Lucio nodded, "I'm an expert at women's hair." He then began to work his magic.

When Hikaru arrived, he immediately noticed Mei, "She's... gorgeous." Lucio and Kaoru looked at Hikaru and smiled, "Isn't she?" Hikaru nodded, "Ahem... anyways, I brought some food and coffee for everyone. So let's break."

Mei and Kasanoda went to another room to take off their modeling clothes. Even though they didn't do much while they were with their costumers, they still got exhausted. It was hard to constantly stand for hours and not move when told to. Not only did they have to deal with this, but after the majority of the day wearing these clothes, they then had to go to their runway practice. Sure at this point in time they were perfect at strutting down the runway, but they still were criticized when it came to the poses. Naturally, they both felt that once the outfits were one-hundred percent complete would they be able to have the perfect poses.

Everyone lounged around the room. Not one of them looked like they were functioning properly. Probably, due to the lack of sleep. So, when they got to relax like this, they all took it in. If anyone spoke, it usually resulted in something that sounded like they were on crack.

Kaoru smiled as he saw Mei lean her head on Kasanoda's shoulder. Miranda observed the two lovers with a bit of jealousy. Hikaru didn't even take notice and Lucio began to make some random comments that had to do with nothing.

Yet, all of them probably could agree that it was the times like these that they loved the most.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Ten.**

~...~

Haruhi arrived back at the apartment that evening. Once she opened the door to her apartment, she was surprised to see several lit candles. A small classical melody was coming from the cd player and Tamaki was dressed in a white, prince-like suit. He was holding two champagne glasses, "Congratulations."

Haruhi smiled seeing Tamaki and immediately dropped her stuff and went over to him, "Thank you Sempai!" Tamaki then handed her a glass, "Let's celebrate you finishing school." With that said, they both clinked glasses.

After a sip of the champagne, Tamaki led Haruhi to the overly decorated table. He placed a red tablecloth over it. He made sure to have silverwear, plates, and bowls available for a full course meal. He smiled, "My Princess. Tonight is a very rare treat."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What makes you say that?" Tamaki smiled, "Instead of my job today, my work was to educate myself into making you the best possible celebratory dinner." Haruhi was a little bit nervous, "Have you ever cooked a meal before?" Tamaki placed a napkin over her lap and from a low angle looked up at her, "This is the first ever meal that I have created." "I'm... quite honored..."

Haruhi in-fact, was pretty afraid. Sometimes Tamaki would get these great ideas, but the execution would be... well, mediocre... "So, what do you have prepared for tonight Sempai?"

Tamaki looked deeply into her eyes, "For the appetizer, I have prepared shrimp coctail." He then went to the kitchen and returned with shrimp coctail. Haruhi was thrilled that it was shrimp, mainly because you can buy shrimp that's already ready to eat.

Once Tamaki revealed the shrimp, Haruhi's face turned a bit blue, "Umm... Sempai..." Tamaki was very proud of the shrimp. He remembered reading from a romantic dinner website that: _Shrimp is easy to prepare! All you have to do is buy it, defrost it, and serve! You can either create your own coctail using this recipe or you can easily pick some up at the store._

"Yes, Haruhi?"

"The shrimp you bought..."

"What about it?"

"It's raw shrimp... not only that, but it also has the head on it... don't you know that you can buy pre-cooked shrimp?" Haruhi didn't want to upset him, but this was a very important thing for him to learn.

"I'm sorry Haruhi! I didn't realize that asking for shrimp resulted in raw ones with heads! Please forgive me!"

Haruhi smiled towards him, "It's ok Sempai. We can prepare the shrimp now if you want. I can teach you how to work with raw shrimp."

Tamaki nodded, "I would like that but... I want you to eat some first! We will have the appetizer later on tonight!"

Haruhi nodded, "If that's what you want..."

Tamaki then rushed to the kitchen and returned, "Now for the soup! Tonight's soup is a classic clam chowder." He poured the clam chowder into their bowls and sat down.

Haruhi smelled the chowder, it smelt great. She figured that he must've been smart enough to just buy a can of soup and follow the directions. When she took a sip of her soup, she immediately dropped the spoon.

Tamaki was stunned by her reaction, so he took a sip of the soup. His face turned blue, "What did I do wrong? I followed the directions perfectly!"

Haruhi looked at him, "Tamaki... you didn't take the clams out of their shells... so naturally, this is a problem. Also... there's a strange taste in this... next time, just use canned soup."

Tamaki was beginning to feel depressed, but none-the-less, he figured that there was no way that his next part of the meal would be destroyed. He took away the bowls and spoons, then returned with a salad, "Tonight's salad is Traditional Salad with Ranch Dressing."

Haruhi was thrilled that he made salad. He placed some salad from the salad bowl on each of their plates and then poured ranch dressing on it.

When they both took a bite, they both placed the fork down. Before Haruhi could say anything, Tamaki spoke up, "I'm sorry Haruhi! Next time, I'll just buy dressing!"

He then went back to the kitchen. When he returned, he smiled, "For the main dish, we have hamburgers!" He placed the meal on the plates.

Haruhi laughed and Tamaki looked at her strangely, "What's so funny Haruhi?"

Haruhi smiled, "Tamaki... hamburgers are made out of ground beef... you just put slabs of ham on the buns." Tamaki immediately felt defeated, "I'm sorry Haruhi!"

Haruhi shook her head, "It's alright... it's been awhile since I've eaten ham."

They both happily ate the ham. Tamaki was thrilled that at least the ham came out well.

Lastly, Tamaki came out with a dessert, "This time, your dessert is pudding!"

Haruhi was thrilled that he didn't try to make a pie or cake. After the earlier mistakes, she figured that he would've done some huge damage. Haruhi smiled as she took a bite, "Mm, tasty! This is very well made!"

Tamaki smiled, "Thanks... I followed the directions on the box."

Haruhi just stared at him. _If only he bought a box or can for pretty much everything else... _

After dinner Tamaki cleaned up, "So Haruhi, we need to talk about the future."

Haruhi nodded, "We do."

Tamaki let out a small sigh, "Haruhi. I want to move back to Japan."

Haruhi looked away from him, "Why?"

"Well... I'm going to be doing a lot of work in Japan starting next year so... it would make the most sense to move back there."

Haruhi nodded, "That makes sense. Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Tamaki looked down, "Everytime I wanted to talk seriously about us... you were too busy working on school, so I figured that I wouldn't attempt until after school was over."

Haruhi felt a little bad for treating him that way without realizing it, "It's fine with me. I like America... but... I really do miss Japan."

Tamaki then spoke up again, "And now that we've been engaged for several months... I have to know, when do you want to get married?"

Haruhi's mind went blank. Marriage was literally the last thing on her mind. Sure, she was happy about the proposal. Sure, she was happy being with Tamaki. But a part of her just... made her feel as if she wasn't really ready to be married. She kind of hated that feeling, "Umm... Sempai... do you think that we could wait until after we're back in Japan?"

Tamaki nodded, "Of course. I was hoping that we could get married in Japan."

She spoke up again, "And umm... maybe we could hold off until after I get settled in by getting a steady job?"

Tamaki sighed. This answer wasn't what he expected, but he wanted to make sure that Haruhi was happy, "Alright Haruhi. We'll wait until after you have a steady job."

She smiled towards him, "Thanks Sempai."

Tamaki took another sip of champagne, "So, I've already hired a company to move us out. I already bought us a place to live temporarily in Japan."

Haruhi frowned, "You did all that without asking me?"

Tamaki nodded, "I figured that school was more important..."

Haruhi raised her voice, "Just because school was extremely important doesn't mean that you should make huge decisions like that on your own! Sometimes, you're too selfish!"

Tamaki looked hurt, "I'm.. sorry Haruhi... It's just temporary... until we find a place that we both like..."

Haruhi frowned, "Until the wedding, I want to live with Dad! You can move into that place by yourself!"

"If that's what you want, that's fine with me..." Tamaki said as calmly as possible. He's seen Haruhi mad a few times before, but this time, he could tell that she was furious. He wasn't sure what else to do but to apologize.

Haruhi took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself, "Anyways... I'm ready to go to New York. I'm... really looking forward to the fashion show. I'm going ahead. Since everything else is so well planned, you can inform the company where to send my belongings!"

With that said, Haruhi packed enough items for her trip to New York and immediately left.

"Wait Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled as he followed her outside.

She flagged down a cab then turned towards him, "I want to be alone right now. I just need some time to think for myself. Don't contact me until you're in New York. And you better not arrive before we're moved out!"

With that said, she slammed the door shut to the cab and made her way to the airport, where she got on a plane four hours later and headed to New York.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Eleven.**

~...~

Haruhi got off of the plane and sat down at the airport. _I know that he means well but... it's just something that I can't accept... Huge decisions like that needs to be discussed together... And due to my anger with him... I'm already in New York with no plans. It's five in the morning... I don't know my way around..._

Haruhi took a deep breath, "Well, I hope that Hikaru doesn't kill me..." She took out her phone and dialed his number.

~...~

The fashion group completed everything two hours ago. So, Hikaru was happily trying to catch up on sleep when his phone woke him up. Without being fully awake, he grabbed the phone and answered, "Hello?"

He sat straight up in his bed when he heard Haruhi's voice, "Hi Hikaru... It's Haruhi... sorry to call so early but... I'm in New York."

"H-Haruhi? You're here already? Do you and Tamaki need anything?"

Haruhi let out a deep breath, "I'm alone right now. Tamaki's taking care of apartment business... so... can you come get me? I'm at the airport..."

Hikaru immediately responded, "I'll be there in about twenty minutes!" He rushed around his room grabbing some presentable clothes, brushed his teeth, put on deodorant, and a little touch of cologne. _Not my best look but... not bad for five am..._

~...~

Haruhi was sitting by herself. It wasn't until after the phonecall she had did it dawn on her that it's been several years since she's seen the twins. A small smile crept up on her face as she wondered how much they've changed over the years.

When Hikaru made it to the airport, he wandered for a bit until he located her, "Haruhi?"

Haruhi heard her name from behind her, so she turned around. She was a bit surprised to see that only Hikaru was there. She figured that he would drag Kaoru with him. She stood up and properly faced him, "It's been a long time."

Hikaru nodded. He couldn't help but take in her beauty. Her hair was a lot longer than he last saw her. Many aspects of her were more feminine and she was wearing one of the dresses that he designed for her. He smiled brightly as he hugged her, "I've missed you Haruhi."

Haruhi returned his hug, "Same. I'm sorry that I haven't been a very good friend the past few years..."

Hikaru shook his head, "It's ok Haruhi. You're here now and that's what matters."

Hikaru was a bit surprised that Haruhi hadn't broken their hug yet. It was nice, yet strange. Strange that an engaged woman would stay in a bear hug with an old friend. Hikaru didn't want to voice anything about it though. He was just happy to be with the woman that he's in love with. At that moment in time, he was literally the happiest man on earth. That is, until Haruhi's stomach rumbled.

He broke the hug and laughed, "Are you hungry Haruhi?" Haruhi had an embarrassed blush play across her face, "Well... my dinner last night wasn't as large as I thought it would be..." Hikaru smiled, "You're still the same Haruhi that I love."

Haruhi wasn't very sure why, but her heart tugged on her for a split second. She observed Hikaru. He most definitely changed. Sure, it was the same man but, he seemed a lot more attractive to her. Maybe it was the fact that he started to build up his muscles... Regardless, she couldn't help but admire his appearance.

Hikaru smiled, "Now, the one thing that New York lacks is here, I will make sure to take you out to a nice diner." Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean by that statement?" "You've finally come here. So, New York is officially complete." Haruhi let out a laugh, "I don't get what you're on about but... a diner sounds good... though, I'm surprised that you're willing to go to a diner." Hikaru was walking next to Haruhi towards his car, "Well, I like the fact that it's open 24 hours and... the food is good. Sure it's common, but I've taken a liking to common things."

Once they arrived at the car, Hikaru opened the trunk of the car, "Let me have your things." Haruhi shook her head, "It's ok... I can put them in..." Hikaru shook his head, "You've just had a long flight, I'll deal with you. You can get comfortable in the car." Haruhi nodded, "Ok." Hikaru placed her luggage in his trunk, then took the driver's seat.

When they were out of the airport area, Haruhi was amazed at how lively New York was so early in the morning, "Wow! The size! And all the noise! It's so... alive!" Hikaru nodded, "I was like that when I first came here too. Kaoru and I were really surprised. This city never seems to sleep." Haruhi nodded, "It seems fun though."

Hikaru nodded, "It is. Haruhi, after we eat, I'll bring you to the apartment. It's not too big, but it's somewhere that you can crash. And well, I hate to admit this but... I'm really tired."

Haruhi nodded, "You've probably been working harder than me lately. Sleep does sound good though. I'm really lacking in that area. I haven't had proper sleep in weeks."

When they made it to the diner, they continued their conversation, "So Hikaru... how's your senior seminar project coming along?"

"Great. We finished it exactly..." He took a look at his cell for the time, "three hours and twenty seven minutes ago."

"Congratulations."

Hikaru shook his head, "Don't congratulate me until after the fashion show... but..." He held up a cup of tea, "Congratulations for finishing up school Haruhi." Haruhi smiled, "Thanks Hikaru."

~...~

Once they finished eating, Hikaru paid for the meal and drove them back to his place. "I don't want to sound mean or anything but... you're going to have to be quiet... Kaoru's asleep. And so is Miranda... I don't really know why she's over here." Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "Miranda?" Hikaru nodded, "She's one of our group members. She's got a huge crush on Kaoru, but... she has no chance with him. Haruhi nodded, "I see... is she interested in you at all?" Hikaru shook his head, "Nope. She can hardly tolerate me. It's quite hilarious."

Hikaru took out his keys and opened the door to the apartment. He noticed that Miranda was on the couch, "You can take my bed to sleep in Haruhi." Haruhi followed Hikaru to his room, "The place is really nice." Hikaru smiled, "Thanks. Kaoru and I really like it."

Haruhi sat down on Hikaru's bed and Hikaru sat down on a chair near a desk.

"Hikaru... sleeping in that chair won't be comfortable."

"It's alright Haruhi. I want you to be comfortable."

Without thinking Haruhi spoke again, "How about we share?"

Hikaru's face turned bright red and Haruhi started to blush realizing what she just suggested.

"Are you sure it's ok Haruhi?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yes... I'm... sure..."

Hikaru joined her on the bed, "If you're uncomfortable or anything, let me know. I don't want you to feel like that."

Haruhi nodded, "But let's just try to catch up on some sleep."

With that said, they both got into the covers and immediately fell asleep. Little did Haruhi know that she likes to cuddle things in her sleep... because an hour within her dreamstate, she was hugging Hikaru close to her.

~...~

Miranda was asleep on the Hitachiin's sofa until she heard some talking and a door closing. She didn't move from her spot while the talking was happening, but once the door to Hikaru's room was closed, she moved. She crept over to his door and sat down in front of it. She could hear talking. It wasn't long until she heard a female's voice from within. She smirked. She figured that once she heard Hikaru start to snore or talk in his sleep, she would investigate further.

Since Haruhi and Hikaru had lack of sleep for weeks, they immediately were out. This, of course, made Miranda excited. She carefully walked over to one of the tables that had their fashion supplies on it and grabbed the small camera that they used to show their progress. Smirking, she messed with the settings on the camera and slowly crept into Hikaru's room.

Once inside the room, she took notice of her surroundings. The room was rather neat, especially for a male inhabiting it. The only bit of mess were blankets that obviously fell off the bed within the short amount of time they were asleep.

Her attention then was fully on the two figures on the bed. Hikaru's stomach had two arms wrapped around it along with a single leg in-between his legs. Miranda immediately figured that this woman was dating Hikaru. And since, Hikaru didn't mention to anyone about him dating, she figured that it was secretive. She was curious of the girl. Never had she seen a woman that Hikaru was sincerely interested in. She always was used to seeing Hikaru with airheaded women that he didn't give a damn about. Just by observing, Miranda knew that this woman was different.

With a small smile on her face, Miranda then snapped several pictures of the two of them, then immediately rushed out of the room, closing the door on her exit. She then made her way back onto the couch. She figured that the flash from the camera had a good chance of waking up the two 'love birds'.

~...~

The flashes of light bothered Haruhi's dream. It wasn't until she heard a 'bang', which sounded like the slamming of a door did she end up opening her eyes. She blinked a couple of times until she could see with a proper focus, then her face turned beet red when she realized where her arms and leg were. Haruhi began to move away from Hikaru from embarrassement when Hikaru grabbed her and pulled her close to him. He was in a very deep sleep and was muttering about something that she couldn't make out.

Her facial expression softened some and she tried to figure out what he was talking about in his sleep. Eventually, she made out the word _bento_. Haruhi let out a small giggle, then she let out a small breath, "Attempting to sleep part two." With that said, she easily drifted off into dreamland.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twelve.**

~...~

Before anyone realized it, it was already noon. Kaoru finally stumbled out of his bed and walked into the living room area of the apartment. He noticed that Miranda was soundly asleep clutching onto something. He wasn't too interested to know what she was cuddling with. So, he walked to the kitchen and began to make some coffee. After all the years of being served on, once in college, Kaoru and Hikaru both decided that they would try their best to not be waited on. Of course, at home, they found it to be perfectly acceptable. Yet, they both wanted to be able to relate to Haruhi a bit more, so when they moved to America, they decided to become _commoners_... Even though they're still rich heirs.

It wasn't long before the aroma of the coffee filled the air, which woke up Miranda. She sat up on the couch and noticed that she was holding onto a camera. She then placed the camera on the small table in front of her. Kaoru then sat down next to her, handing her a cup of coffee. "Thanks Kaoru." Kaoru smiled, "It's not a problem. Thanks for all the hard work these past few months."

Miranda took a sip of the coffee and smiled, "My favorite." Kaoru smiled kindly towards her, "I know, that's why I made it." Miranda blushed a bit, "You... really need to stop teasing me..." Kaoru let out a laugh, "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so used to it." Miranda took another sip, "From your host club days?" Kaoru nodded, "Yeah. They're precious memories to me now."

"I still find it hard to grasp what a host club is... I've never even seen one around here..."

"If you ever go to Japan, you can find one."

Miranda looked into her cup of coffee, "It's too expensive for me... I could never afford a trip to Japan."

Kaoru took a sip of his coffee, "Hazelnut is a great flavor for coffee."

"It sure is."

Kaoru then placed his cup down on the table and picked up the camera, "Let's take a look at the beginning to ending photos of the project." He turned on the camera and began to flip through the photos.

Eventually, Kaoru stopped at a photo of Hikaru and Haruhi in bed together. He was completely dumbfounded. Miranda let out a small nervous laugh, "Ummm... I was meaning to tell you... around seven this morning... Hikaru came back with a girl."

Kaoru finally came back to his senses, "Miranda... do you remember the girl Haruhi that we mention from time to time?"

Miranda nodded her head, "Yeah... what about her?"

"This is her."

Miranda was stunned, "She... she looks nothing like how you both have described her! She's so pretty! I thought for certain that she was a model!"

Kaoru picked up his coffee cup again and took another sip, "She would make a great model if she was trained... otherwise... she's the dullest model that I've ever seen."

Miranda laughed, "Is that so?"

Kaoru nodded, "Our mother let Haruhi wear one of her newest outfits one day to model it off... and well... Haruhi's expression just didn't do it for being a great model. But... if Haruhi ever got into it... I think that she would become a world famous model."

"Do you think that she'll ever model? She would be perfect for a lot of the designs that Hikaru comes up with..."

Kaoru shook his head, "She's always wanted to become a lawyer like her mother..." He finished off his coffee and stood up, "Anyways~ time for me to have some fun!"

Miranda cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?"

He smirked, "Just watch."

~...~

Tamaki still didn't have everything moved out of the apartment. He thought for certain that it would be a task done in little to no time, but he was mistaken. On top of not having the apartment complete, he was busy agonizing over how upset Haruhi was at him. It bothered him a lot. He could tell that this wouldn't be an easy thing for her to get over. This just made everything worse for him. He was upset that she was already in New York. He intended for them to arrive at the same time, sightsee together, and see the twins. Yet, all of his plans were already falling apart.

~...~

Hikaru and Haruhi were both in a deep sleep, holding onto each other. Kaoru happily snuck into Hikaru's room and smirked. He had a large bucket in his hands and he winked towards Miranda. Miranda nodded her head and turned on the lights. Kaoru then dumped the bucket upside down overtop of the two, which caused confetti to get all over the place, "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER!"

Hikaru and Haruhi both immediately sat up. Hikaru glared towards Kaoru, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Kaoru frowned, "You were hiding Haruhi from me..." Haruhi looked at Kaoru and immediately walked over to him, "Long time no see." Kaoru smiled, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?" He opened up his arms to embrace Haruhi in a friendly hug.

"So Haruhi, what would you like to eat?" Kaoru asked smiling widely. Haruhi thought for a moment, "What are my options?" "Well... we have eggs... uh... bread... bacon..." Kaoru started.

"I can make myself a cheese omelet." Haruhi stated. Hikaru looked at her, "You want a cheese omelet... I'll make it for you. You can get yourself comfortable." Haruhi eyed Hikaru, "Are you sure it's ok?" She was remembering Tamaki's meal. Kaoru could see the uneasiness in her eyes, "Hikaru cooks all the time. He's not the best, but... it's decent food." Hikaru glared towards his twin brother, "If you don't think that it's that great then I'll stop cooking for you!" Kaoru sighed, "It's great food... Anyways Haruhi, let me get you a towel so that you can shower."

~...~

Hikaru walked into the kitchen and began to take out items from the refrigerator. Miranda was watching him, "I want some eggs too Hikaru!" Hikaru glared towards her, "What are you still doing here?" Miranda made a fake pouty-face, "Aww, you don't want me here? How cruel!" Hikaru sighed, "I'm just surprised that you haven't left yet. You do know that Kaoru's taken... He's not going to change his mind." Miranda looked into her cup of coffee, "I know... and I'm not expecting for him to fall for me... I just like being around him... and since we'll be done with schooling soon... I want to spend as much time with him as I can... this way... I can feel that I tried my best from the beginning."

Hikaru shook his head, "I don't understand the way girls think." Miranda laughed, "But it seems that you've been hiding a secret from all of us!" Hikaru was dicing some onions and mushrooms to put in the omelette, "What secret?" "The one where you're dating that girl."

Hikaru let out a deep breath, "We're not dating. That's Haruhi... she's engaged to one of my best friends." Miranda smirked, "But you two seem to be close... maybe she's not satisfied with her current relationship. Besides... what kind of guy allows his fiance to sleep over at some other guy's place?" Hikaru frowned, "Miranda... Tamaki is the kind of guy that will make any woman happy. He stole Haruhi's heart several years ago. I... I don't want you saying such things."

Miranda watched Hikaru's facial expressions. She could tell that he was hurting from the relationship that Haruhi had, "Hikaru... you still have time." Hikaru was sauteeing the vegetables, "What do I have time for?"

"To win her over. It's not game over until she's married... and even then... it doesn't always work out."

Hikaru let out a deep breath, "I know but... I'm not going to try to destroy what they have. As much as I love Haruhi... I love Tono too... I don't want to see either of them hurt so..."

Miranda frowned, "But it's unfair!"

"Unfair?"

Miranda nodded, "It's unfair that you're the one who gets hurt out of it!"

Hikaru laughed, "What makes you think that I'm hurt?"

"I can tell... I've been working closely with you and Kaoru for four years now! I can tell the difference!"

"Is that so..." Hikaru continued cooking.

~...~


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirteen.**

~...~

Kaoru led Haruhi to the bathroom and handed her some towels, "Haruhi... is everything going alright between you and Tono?" Haruhi grabbed the towels and looked into Kaoru's eyes, "We're fine. We had an arguement the other day, but that's just me putting him in his place." Kaoru laughed, "You're good at that." Haruhi smiled as Kaoru continued, "But I find it odd that you're here without him. Isn't he coming to the fashion show with you?" Haruhi nodded, "He's coming but... I'm having him think about what he did." "What did he do?" Haruhi sighed, "He mapped out the nearby future without me... I... I can't deal with that..." Kaoru pulled Haruhi into a hug, "I'm sure that he won't do it again... but Haruhi... I need to know something." Kaoru broke the hug and looked straight into her eyes with a serious expression, "What does Hikaru mean to you?"

Haruhi was surprised by that question. She thought about Hikaru. Sure, Hikaru's one of her best friends... in fact... he's not just any sort of friend. There was something about him that made Haruhi feel comfortable around him. Yet, Hikaru now seems... attractive, though not anything like Tamaki. Haruhi couldn't come up with a proper response immediately. Kaoru placed a hand on her head, "Don't worry about it Haruhi. Let me know the answer later." With that said, he turned around and started to walk away.

Haruhi watched as Kaoru's visage disappeared from her sight. _What is Hikaru to me...?_

~...~

Kaoru entered the kitchen and sat down, watching Hikaru cook, "So... Hikaru... you have a lot of explaining..." Hikaru didn't look at his brother, he just focused on the food, "About what?"

Kaoru smirked and lifted up one finger, "First question: When did you and Haruhi meet up?"

Hikaru didn't think anything of the question, "She got off the plane around five this morning... by the time that I got her it was around six. We then ate a small meal and came back here, since she didn't have anywhere to stay."

Kaoru nodded and lifted up another finger, "Second question: Why didn't you wake me up to get Haruhi with you?"

Hikaru added some eggs to the frying pan, "Since we've had practically no sleep these past few weeks, I figured that you needed to sleep. I wasn't planning on hiding Haruhi from you..."

Kaoru then lifted yet another finger, "How did you two end up sleeping in the same bed?"

Hikaru's face turned red, "What does it matter?"

Kaoru smirked, "Just curious."

Hikaru added his sauteed vegetables and cheese to the mix, "I told her to take the bed."

Kaoru nodded, "So... how did you get in the bed with her?"

Hikaru continued, "I wasn't being a pervert! She told me to share the bed, since she didn't want me sleeping in the chair."

Kaoru nodded, "And?"

Hikaru finally faced his brother, "And what?"

Kaoru gave a devilish look towards Hikaru and walked up to him. He wrapped his arms around Hikaru and gazed into his twin's eyes, "How far did you two get?"

Hikaru frowned, "WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Kaoru laughed and pulled away, "Ok ok... geez, no need to get so upset. I was just teasing you... but really... there must be something wrong between her and Tono if she was willing to get into your bed."

Hikaru turned off the stove and frowned, "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything. I just think that it's strange that Haruhi would be willing to sleep in the same bed as a guy who's not her fiance... isn't that close to cheating on him?"

Hikaru's face was slightly red, "It's not cheating. Tono knows that we wouldn't do anything to her..."

Kaoru shook his head, "Actually Hikaru... I believe that the reason we haven't heard from Haruhi until recently is because of Tono."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"

"Tono knew that you loved Haruhi. Sure, he won her over in the end but... sometimes Tono thinks too much. We used to be in contact with Haruhi everyday until she changed her cell number. And why would she change her cell number?"

Hikaru set up the breakfast table, "I don't know, why?"

"Because Tono wanted to cut her off from us. He's always thought of us as devils trying to corrupt Haruhi... maybe he was afraid that Haruhi would pick one of us and leave him..."

Hikaru shook his head, "You're thinking about this too much Kaoru."

Kaoru started pouring some orange juice into cups, "Haruhi wouldn't go through the effort of changing her number if she didn't have to. I'm just saying that it's a possibility. Tono always was jealous of all the time we got to spend with Haruhi through high school..."

Hikaru was silent, then Miranda, who was listening to the whole conversation quietly spoke up, "I might not know these people but... I think that Kaoru's right. There really was no reason for Haruhi to change her cell number... especially since she didn't have to pay for using the phone. Hikaru... it's possible that your friend thinks that you'll take Haruhi away from him."

Hikaru shook his head, "Tono wouldn't think that... Tono might call us devilish sometimes but... he trusts us..."

Kaoru sat down, "But Hikaru... you still love Haruhi, right?"

Hikaru slightly nodded, "What does that have to-"

Before Hikaru could finish Kaoru continued, "Regardless of what happened, Haruhi and Tamaki must be having some sort of difficulties right now. If you really want to win Haruhi's heart... wouldn't now be the time?"

Hikaru sat down across from Kaoru, "I can't do that to Tono... besides... Haruhi is happy with him..."

Kaoru sighed, "After all that talk the other day about not being able to give her up... You really need to make your mind up Hikaru. If you can't give up your feelings for her, then win her over! If you're going to allow Tono to take her, then abandon your feelings now. Otherwise... this will be extremely painful for you."

"It's already painful Kaoru... but I can't hurt Haruhi... I can't..."

~...~

Haruhi finished up her shower and put on a dress that Hikaru had made for her. It was a blue sundress with a couple of frills and white lace. She walked into the kitchen.

At this point in time, the three in the room all stared at Haruhi. Kaoru and Hikaru both smiled as they saw her. Miranda then spoke up, "Ah! Haruhi! That dress! It looks like it was made for you! Definitely seems like a style that Hikaru would come up with!"

Kaoru glanced over at Hikaru as Hikaru's face turned a bit red with embarrassment. Haruhi then spoke up, "He made it for me." Kaoru smiled, "Is that so? Interesting... Hikaru never told me that he made you a dress." Hikaru gave off a nervous laugh, "It's just a gift Kaoru... I figured that it wasn't important." Haruhi smiled towards Kaoru, "Not just one dress... he made a whole wardrobe full." Hikaru's face turned more red, "Ah! Haruhi, breakfast is ready so... we should eat before it's cold."

Haruhi nodded as she sat down in-between Hikaru and Kaoru. She looked at the food prepared in front of her and smiled, "It looks delicious." She then took a bite, "Mm! Hikaru! You're an amazing chef! I never knew that you could cook like this!" Hikaru smiled, "I'm... glad that you like it but... I'm no where near as good as you are..."

Haruhi giggled, "You're just flattering me." Hikaru shook his head, "I really liked the commoner's food that you've made for us in the past..." Haruhi smiled. Miranda and Kaoru watched the interaction between the two.

~...~

Tamaki finally made it to New York. Once he got off the plane he grabbed his phone and called Haruhi. The phone rang multiple times until it finally reached her voicemail, "Haruhiiiiiiiiiiiiii! I'm in New York! Where are youuuuuuuu? Everything's taken care of and I need to know where you are! Call me as soon as you get this!" Tamaki then dialed Kaoru's number.

Kaoru noticed his phone going off and he took it out of his pocket, only to see that it was Tamaki. He then excused himself from the table and went into another room, "Ah, Tono?"

"! Haruhi didn't pick up her !"

Kaoru thought for a moment. He wondered if he should reveal Haruhi's whereabouts or to play a small game. Of course, he figured that he would give his brother a chance to win Haruhi over, "Tono, why isn't Haruhi with you?"

Tamaki's eyes widened, "You mean she hasn't contacted you?"

"Why would she? Isn't she traveling with you?"

Tamaki was freaking out in the airport, gaining a lot of unwanted attention as he flailed on the phone, "She left without meeeeeeeeeeee! I wanted to arrive together but we got in an arguement..."

"An arguement, eh? That's not good for a soon-to-be-wed couple..."

Tamaki was practically in tears, "I need to make it up to her!"

"What was the arguement on?"

"I bought us a place to live at in Japan and told her the wonderful news that we'll be living there after the trip to New York!"

"Ah... that's not good of you Tono."

Tamaki nodded, "I didn't realize that until she got mad! Why doesn't she trust my decisions? I'm the man in the relationship so-"

Kaoru frowned, "Tono! After all those years of hosting... you've failed to understand the heart of a woman. I'm ashamed of you."

Tamaki's eyes widened in shock, "You're right! I... I have been blinded! I didn't tend to the needs of Haruhi! I... I don't deserve her! She deserves better! Kaoru! Tell me what to do!"

Kaoru wasn't really sure what he should do. He could tell that Tamaki was upset about the arguement between him and Haruhi, but a part of what he was hearing on the phone sounded a bit like his early complaint days. Kaoru finally spoke up, "Tono. You should apologize."

"I did but... even after an apology... she left to go to New York without me!"

Kaoru sighed, "Well Tono... if you don't fix this soon... how will you two ever get married?"

Tamaki was silent for a few minutes. It really didn't register in his head that Haruhi might actually leave him. Not only that but... Haruhi kept pushing aside the wedding plans. He was completely distraught, "Thanks Kaoru... where are you now? We should meet up..." Kaoru let out a sigh, "I'll come get you at the airport, then we can tour a few places."

Tamaki immediately beamed up with excitement, "That's wonderful! I'll see you soon!"

Kaoru hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen, "Sorry but... I have something I have to do... I'm going to have to leave."

Hikaru looked at his brother, curious as to why Kaoru wasn't giving details, but just nodded, "See you later then."

Kaoru then looked at Miranda, "Ah, Miranda... do you think that you could accompany me?"

Miranda's eyes immediately sparkled, "Of course!" With that said, Kaoru and Miranda left Hikaru and Haruhi home alone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Fourteen.**

~...~

Hikaru wasn't really sure what to do after breakfast. Sure, it was actually the afternoon, but regardless, he was completely alone with Haruhi. Hikaru cleaned up the breakfast table, "So... Haruhi, is there anything that you want to do?" Haruhi let out a small breath, "Well... to be honest, I'm still pretty tired..."

Hikaru nodded, "Same... I wasn't ready to get up when Kaoru came in..." Haruhi watched Hikaru as he finished cleaning up. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat for a second. Haruhi smiled towards him, "I was really warm and comfortable in your bed." Hikaru smiled, "Same... uh... shall we try to catch up on more sleep?" Haruhi let out a small laugh, "Actually... that is a great idea. Then... maybe we could go out for dinner... the two of us... and maybe hit Broadway?" Hikaru must've imagined it but, when Haruhi said _the two of us_, he could've sworn that he saw a blush appear on her face. His own heart began to beat faster, "A-actually.. that's a great idea. I know some... some great restaurants... and ummm... there's some great plays going on Broadway right now..." Haruhi walked towards Hikaru and smiled towards him, "I kind of would like to see _Mamma Mia_... I saw the movie and would like to see the stage version..." Hikaru nodded, "That's a great idea! I'll... I'll order some tickets online for us!"

Haruhi smiled, "Thanks but... allow me to pay for my ticket." Hikaru shook his head, "I've got this. You don't have to worry Haruhi. I like to spoil you sometimes."

~...~

Miranda walked with Kaoru to the subway, "So... what's going on?"

"For starters... Tamaki, Haruhi's fiance just got in, so I decided to get him."

"Oh... so... why am I coming?" Miranda wasn't really sure why Kaoru wanted her to come with him, but she was happy none-the-less.

"Simple, to allow Hikaru to win over Haruhi's heart!"

Miranda laughed, "So that's why. And here I thought you were finally asking me out on a date."

Kaoru laughed, "You know that's not going to happen."

Miranda nodded, "True but... I can always hope."

~...~

Hikaru and Haruhi were both under the covers of Hikaru's bed. Hikaru was trying his best to fall back asleep, but his heart was racing. Haruhi looked so adorable in the dress that he made. Not only that but... the fact that she wanted to hang with him for the evening just made him even more excited. He wasn't really sure what was going on. Haruhi had her eyes closed. From a viewer's standpoint, it would seem that she was asleep; however, she was in fact wide awake. Her mind was running with so many different thoughts. Thoughts that never even came into her head until she was re-united with Hikaru.

_Ok... the reason that I want to hang out with Hikaru is because I haven't seen him for awhile... but then again... why would I say 'the two of us'? I mean... I miss Kaoru too! But... I don't know why... why I just feel like hanging with Hikaru. His bed is very comfy... and he smells good... Eh! Why am I thinking like that? Why should I care if he smells good? I mean sure I don't want him to smell bad, but... Never in the past had I thought of that... and he's more built since high school... Ah! What am I thinking? _

Hikaru glanced over and noticed Haruhi's eyes were shut. He figured that she must be asleep. He closed his eyes as well and decided that he would just casually wrap his arms around her. Sure, there would be no harm in doing that... since, she's asleep and all. So, Hikaru slowly moved his arms and embraced Haruhi.

Haruhi was a bit surprised with this gesture. She decided that she would open her eyes to see if he did that on purpose or not. Once she opened her eyes, she noticed that his were closed. _Ok Haruhi... he's just grabbing you in his sleep. There's nothing wrong with that... I mean... it's not a big deal at all... I'm sure that he usually sleeps holding onto something... _Haruhi then closed her eyes again. _Since he's asleep... there's no harm in... _Haruhi wrapped her arms around Hikaru and pulled him closer to her. _Why is my heart beating like this? My heart hasn't raced this much since the time that Tamaki and I began to date... _

Hikaru was completely taken aback by Haruhi pulling him closer to her. He wished that she was doing this willingly, but since she was asleep according to him, he figured that this is the closest that he's going to get with her. As much as he loved cuddling, as a man, he wanted more. Yet, Hikaru knew that he wouldn't ever try to force himself on Haruhi. He would obviously want Haruhi's concent to anything more than this. He smiled, breathing in her scent.

~...~

Kaoru and Miranda finally made it to the airport. It didn't take long until a blond-haired man was standing in front of Kaoru. Miranda stared at the man, she couldn't figure out what to make of him at first. It was within a blink of the eye that he just appeared. Kaoru didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"Ahh, Tono."

Tamaki smiled and embraced Kaoru into a hug, "! It's awful!"

"What's awful?"

"Haruhi has been ignoring me!"

Kaoru sighed, "Calm down Tono. I'm sure that she's not ignoring you."

Tamaki looked into the twin's eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Why would your fiance ignore you? I mean... think about it Tono... Haruhi agreed to marry you. She might be a little upset about something but... she won't ignore you."

Tamaki immediately smiled, "You're right! Haruhi is in love with me and I with her! We're both bound together by the power of love! And nothing is stronger than that!"

Miranda continued watching Tamaki. Something about him seemed very... strange to her. The fact that he could be crying one second, then smiling the next wasn't something that she was used to. "Ah!" She looked over at Kaoru, "He's bipolar!"

Kaoru let out a laugh and Tamaki froze. He didn't even notice the woman there until he heard her voice. And, since he was too busy thinking and talking at the same time, he didn't grasp what she said. He smiled towards the Latino girl and pulled a rose out of nowhere specific. He immediately gave her a charming smile, "Hello Princess, I'm Tamaki. May I inquire your name?"

Miranda blinked a few times. This man was now acting like some sort of Prince Charming from a fantasy book, "It's Miranda..."

Kaoru watched amused. It had been awhile since he's witnessed Tono's charming of ladies and Kaoru found it quite fun seeing Miranda's face begin to flush.

"Princess Miranda... you look beautiful today. Please accept this token of affection." Tamaki placed the rose in her hand, "See you around."

He then turned his attention back to Kaoru, not realizing that Miranda was in fact with him. "Anyways Kaoru... I'm a bit hungry, so let's eat."

Kaoru nodded, "There's this really good pizza place nearby... want to go?"

Tamaki smiled, "Sounds great! Even though I've visited New York quite a few times now... I have yet to have eaten their famous pizza! It's a must! Kaoru... Lead the way!"

Kaoru began to walk with Tamaki and Miranda following him. It wasn't until they got inside the pizza parlor that Tamaki noticed Miranda was still there, "Ah, Princess... you're following us?"

Miranda frowned, "It's not that I'm following. I'm here with Kaoru." Tamaki completely froze and looked at Kaoru for confirmation. Kaoru wasn't paying attention and instead told a worker, "We have three."

Kaoru then followed the woman to a booth near a window, "Here's the menus. Please enjoy." Miranda sat next to Kaoru as Tamaki sat across from him, "Kaoru! You didn't tell me about her!" Kaoru was looking over the menu and spoke as if what he was saying wasn't a big deal what-so-ever, "I haven't? Strange... I thought that I mentioned her last time..."

Tamaki thought about the past few times he had spoken or met up with Kaoru, "Hmmm... last time you talked about how you wanted Haruhi's number... and you mentioned something about fashion... Ah! You told me about a gay guy and some other guy you were working with..."

Kaoru sighed, "Lucio is gay... and I mentioned a girl that I often work with on projects... that girl is Miranda. So Tono... I wasn't keeping you in the dark."

Tamaki looked between Kaoru and Miranda and then placed a hand on Kaoru's hand, "I'm so glad that you've finally found someone! What about Hikaru?"

"Uh... thanks Tono..." Kaoru mentioned. He figured that he wouldn't talk about Rane to Tamaki. At least, not here in front of Miranda. "As for Hikaru he... he hasn't dated in quite a few months now..."

Miranda nodded, "Yeah, Hikaru seems like the type of guy who will never have a serious relationship." Tamaki's full attention was on Miranda, "Oh? Why do you say that?" "Simple. Hikaru doesn't treat any of the women that he's dated with any respect. It's not that he treats them badly... he just doesn't intend to get to know them from the start. I think that his standards are either too high or he's in love with someone that he can't have."

Tamaki thought about what Miranda said and nodded. He immediately figured that Hikaru was most definitely in love with someone that he couldn't have. He thought for a bit, wondering who that person was, "Ah! Kaoru! You and Hikaru must be having a hard time!" Tamaki grabbed a napkin and wiped a single tear that was falling.

"What makes you say that Tono?"

"Hikaru... is obviously in love with Miranda!"

Kaoru and Miranda burst out laughing. Tamaki monitored them as the waitress came by, "Have you figured out your order?"

Kaoru nodded, "We'll have a large supreme and a large cheese please." The waitress nodded, "Of course."

"Tono. You're way off course with that statement."

Tamaki shook his head, "You and Hikaru tend to have the same tastes... and obviously Hikaru is in love with your girlfriend!"

The two laughed towards Tamaki again. Tamaki wasn't sure what was so funny.

"Tono! Rane and Hikaru don't get along at all!"

Tamaki blinked a few times. The name Rane didn't register to him at all, but then he just immediatly assumed that Rane was some sort of nickname for Miranda. He immediately grabbed Miranda's hands and looked into her eyes, "Please try to be kinder to Hikaru."

Miranda casually nodded, "I guess that I have been a bit hard on him lately..." She was thinking about the past few weeks. Her and Hikaru did have quite a few arguments over how certain things should go with the project, but it really wasn't anything that was unusual for them.

Kaoru figured that before Tamaki got even more incorrect that he would change the topic, "So Tono... you and Haruhi had an argument?"

Tamaki's expression turned a bit sad, "Yeah... it's the first time that she's gotten so angry at me... I never imagined that she would come to New York without me..."

~...~

Miranda figured that she wouldn't try to look interested in this current conversation. So, she looked around the restaurant and was surprised to see two familiar faces at a nearby table. She then stood up, "Kasanoda! Mei! Over here!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Fifteen.**

~...~

Kasanoda and Mei heard their names called and they immediately looked around the restaurant only to see Miranda waving towards them. Mei looked at Kasanoda and smiled, "Shall we sit with them?" Kasanoda sighed, "I suppose."

Once they walked over there, Tamaki's eyes widened with surprise, "Bossanova! Mei! It's been awhile!" Kasanoda sighed, "It's Kasanoda... but yeah, what brings you here?"

Tamaki smiled, "Ah, Haruhi and I are going to the upcoming fashion show! How about you two?"

Mei smiled, "We'll be at the fashion show as well."

"Ah! That's wonderful! I'm sure that Haruhi will be excited to see you two again!"

Mei nodded, "I would love to see her too... It's been awhile since we've hung out."

"Yes yes! Oh and since you're Haruhi's best friend perhaps you can solve something for me..."

Mei cocked her head to the side, "Oh? What would that be?"

Kaoru frowned when Tamaki noted that Haruhi's best friend was Mei. He felt that Haruhi's best friends were him and Hikaru. Yet, he decided to let this thought go fast. In the meanwhile... he got to hear all about Tamaki's relationship with Haruhi... since, Tamaki started telling Mei everything.

"So Mei... what do I do to get Haruhi to be happy again?"

In the middle of Tamaki and Haruhi's love history explaination... the pizza came. Since Mei and Kasanoda ordered at their table, another pizza was added to the mix.

Mei was nibbling on a slice of cheese pizza, "Well Tamaki... I think that you two should just sit down and have a serious talk about what is and isn't allowed in your relationship."

~...~

Hikaru's phone alarm went off, which woke both him and Haruhi up. After a few hours of trying to fall asleep, they both eventually drifted off. Yet, they weren't ready to be officially up, since they both had finally become calm and comfortable in their sleep. When they awoke, they both immediately noticed their position: they were in each other's arms. Hikaru immediately pulled away from Haruhi, "S... Sorry Haruhi..." Haruhi's face was tinted a slight pink shade, "Same..."

They both awkwardly got out of the bed. Neither of them noticed that the other was uncomfortble. Yet, they both had thoughts racing through their minds.

Hikaru then spoke up, "So Haruhi... what type of food would you like for dinner?"

Haruhi thought for a moment, "Hmm... anything's good."

~...~

Hikaru led Haruhi to a small, Chinese restaurant located in China Town. Hikaru's eaten there before, just not much. As fascinating as he found China Town to be, he never enjoyed the fact that the number of pickpocketers were multiplied by a hundred in lieu of where he lives. Even though China Town was a bit out of the way, Hikaru suddenly started to crave some Chinese food. While walking through China Town, he continuously warned Haruhi that some of the people in the area are a bit odd and will try to sell knock-off-name-brand purses and other accessories.

Once inside the restaurant, they both ordered a tasty meal.

"I don't come here too often, but it's the best place in the city if you want Chinese food."

Haruhi slightly smiled, "It's... really delicious. The place itself isn't very nice to look at, but the food is amazing. I'm... glad that you brought me here Hikaru."

Hikaru rubbed the back of his head, "It's not a problem..." At this point in time, a creepy person cloaked in black robes approached the table with a large bucket. Haruhi scooted her chair a little to the left. Hikaru took notice of Haruhi's uncomfortable expression, "Haruhi, are you alright?" Haruhi allowed herself to let out a nod. Hikaru then noticed the black robed person, "Hey... would you mind going elsewhere? We're kind of in the middle of eating..."

The person removed a hood that was covering their face and then, an old Asian woman smiled, "Hi! I was wondering if you two would be interested in a purchase?"

Haruhi's muscles calmed down some and her expression turned warm, "What exactly are you selling Miss?" Hikaru noticed the sudden change in Haruhi and let out a sigh of relief. The old lady's English was extremely broken, but it was good enough for them to make out what she was saying, "Oh, just look in the bucket... top of the line! Ten dollar each!"

Haruhi grabbed the bucket from the lady and peeked in. It wasn't long before her face turned blue and she was attacked by seven large green frogs hopping into her face. Hikaru immediately stood up and pulled Haruhi away from the frogs. He then turned his attention towards the lady, "Hey Grannie! Do you not realize that this is a restaurant?" The old woman began to collect the frogs that were now outside the bucket, "What's that dear?" Hikaru spoke up, "FROGS SHOULDN'T BE IN A DAMN RESTAURANT!" The old lady collected the last frog and had it dangling from her thumb and forefinger on her right hand, "Oh? That's ten bucks... but since you're cute I'll let you have it for five." She placed the frog into Hikaru's hand and quickly grabbed his wallet.

Hikaru stared at the frog for a minute before he realized that the old lady was running off with his wallet, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" He immediately tossed the frog to the side, which landed in a bowl of soup at a different table. Hikaru grabbed Haruhi's hand and started to run, "We need to be quick to catch her!" Little did they realize that the enraged person from the other table followed them out.

~...~

The two ran for several blocks. Hikaru yelling out towards the old lady. For an old woman, she certainly could run. Behind Hikaru and Haruhi, a tall figure followed, who of which was followed by a frog.

"Hikaru! Let's try to corner her!" Haruhi yelled out as she pulled her hand from his. Hikaru nodded and immediately jumped over a poorly constructed fence.

Within a few moments, Haruhi was almost caught up to the lady, when the lady dropped her large bucket of frogs. The bucket fell to the ground and began to roll. Haruhi wasn't fast enough to dodge the bucket and ended up twisting her ankle a bit and fell to the ground, scrapping her knee on the concrete. Not only that, but several frogs covered the area, which only irritated her more.

~...~

Hikaru turned a corner and finally located the old lady. The old lady saw him and then ran into a small shop that sold purses and sunglasses. Frowning and extremely pissed, Hikaru ran in after her and ended up taking down three aisles of sunglasses. Yet, even though he created a huge disturbance and a mess in the shop, he was able to grab the old lady's arm, which he twisted and then grabbed his wallet. Once he grabbed the wallet he stood up and glared at the woman, "Don't ever fuck with me again!" He turned around and noticed two security guards were looking at him, "Excuse me sir... the shop owner here claims that you caused a disturbance..."

Hikaru sighed, "Listen officers... I can explain..."

"Good, because you've got a lot of explaining to do. If it's not satisfactory, then we'll have to take you with us."

"Well you see..." Hikaru began his story about the theif.

~...~

Haruhi was on the ground in pain. She was trying her hardest to stand up, but wasn't capable of doing it. A few tears came out of her eyes when she heard a familiar voice from behind her, "Haruhi... are you okay?"

Haruhi's eyes widened and she turned to look at the person who was approaching her, "Dad? What are you-" Before Haruhi could finish, Ranka knelt down beside her and observed her injured knee and ankle, "Oh Haruhi... We must get you to a hospital!" Haruhi sighed, "It's not a bit deal Dad. I'll be able to stand up soon." Ranka shook his head, "That won't do!" He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Hikaru's number, "Hi Hikaru?"

~...~

When Hikaru finished his explaination, the officers forced him to pay the damaged costs of the shop. He wasn't thrilled, especially since he ended up buying over 100 pairs of sunglasses for a ridiculous price. When his phone went off, he placed it to his ear, "R-Ranka? How are you?"

Haruhi's father smiled hearing Hikaru's voice, "Oh Hikaru! I'm so glad that you threw that frog into my soup!"

Hikaru blinked for a few seconds, "I threw a frog in your soup? ... When did this happen?"

"Oh never mind! The point is that if you didn't cause such a scene, I never would've found you two! I've been wandering New York for the past 3 days trying to locate you!"

Hikaru let out a small laugh, "Why didn't you call? I would've picked you up."

"I wanted to sightsee first! Anyways... Haruhi's injured! I need your help to get her to the hospital!"

"Haruhi's injured?" Hikaru's voice was in a panic, "What happened? Where are you two?"

Ranka took a deep breath, "We're right near the hotdog stand... we'll explain what happened later."

Hikaru nodded, "I'll be there soon!" He hung up the phone and began to run. He ran for several blocks then came across a hot dog stand. Once there, he approached the worker, "Excuse me... have you seen a pretty lady and a cross-dresser?" The person at the stand shook their head, then responded in perfect Italian, "Sorry, no one by that description here." Hikaru sighed, then it suddenly occured to him that he somehow managed to leave China Town and made it into Little Italy. Out of breath and pissed off, he called Kaoru.

~...~

"Hello?"

"Kaoru! It's me! I need your help! It's urgent!" Hikaru screamed into the phone in a panic.

"Calm down Hikaru... what's going on?"

"Haruhi is... Haruhi is..."

"Hikaru... spit it out... what's going on?" At this point in time, all eyes were staring at Kaoru. Tamaki took a sip of water and then looked at Kaoru. Kaoru's face became white with worry, which bothered Tamaki, "Kaoru?"

Kaoru looked at Tamaki and forced a smile towards him, "Don't worry Tono... I'm alright." Tamaki smiled, then went back to talking with Mei and eating pizza.

Hikaru took a deep breath, "Haruhi's injured... she's in China Town... I wasn't far from her but then somehow I ended up in Little Italy..."

Kaoru let out a small laugh, "How did you manage to do that?"

Hikaru frowned, "You can make fun of me later... right now, I need to get to Haruhi!"

Kaoru nodded, "Fine fine... walk the opposite direction then..." Kaoru made sure to give his brother the best possible directions that he could. Once finished describing the directions, Kaoru then smiled, "Or you could just open up your phone to the gps and figure out how to get there that way."

Hikaru clenched a fist, "Why didn't you say that from the start! I don't have time to play around!"

Kaoru let out a breath, "Sorry Hikaru... anyways... let me know what's going on later... bye."

~...~

After fifteen minutes, Hikaru finally managed to locate Haruhi and Ranka. He immediately knelt down next to Haruhi, "Haruhi... I called an ambulence... they'll be here shortly." Haruhi wasn't thrilled but didn't speak up to argue. Her ankle was hurting pretty badly and she just didn't have the willpower to make any comments that could upset him.

"Hikaru... did you get your wallet back?"

Hikaru nodded, "Yup! Thanks for all of your help."

Haruhi shook her head, "It's not a problem... even with all this crazy stuff... it's a day that I will never forget. This has been pretty fun."

Hikaru let out a laugh, "I didn't think of it like that... but you're right... overall this is going to become a very humorous story to tell."

Haruhi smiled and Ranka took out his camera and took a picture of the two. Hikaru and Haruhi both turned their attention towards Ranka, who was wearing a gorgeous design that Hikaru specifically created for him. Smiling, Ranka immediately pulled the two of them into a hug, "I'm so glad that you two are alright!"

~...~

After they finished dinner, Kaoru looked at Tamaki, "Tono... where are you staying at?" Tamaki smiled towards Kaoru, "At a grand hotel right nearby Central Park! I would head over there but... I want to find Haruhi first..." Kaoru sighed, "Tono... why don't you try calling her again?" Kaoru didn't want to tell Tamaki exactly where Haruhi was. Tamaki clapped his hands together, "It has been a few hours since I tried! So, I shall do just that!" Tamaki grabbed his phone and began to dial Haruhi's number. Kaoru then glanced over towards Miranda and then grabbed her hand and started running out of the restaurant.

Once outside, Miranda pulled away from him, "Kaoru! What are you doing?" Kaoru stopped running and faced Miranda, "We're making an escape of course." Miranda looked down at the ground, "Why would you abandon your friend like that?" Kaoru ran a hand through his hair, "It's not that I'm abandoning him... I just don't want to be the one responsible for showing him around everywhere. Besides... there is a chance that Haruhi will tell Tono what she's up to... if that happens... then he might get angry at me." Miranda glanced to the side, "Then... you shouldn't have lied to him in the first place..." Kaoru took a deep breath, "I know... but I really want Hikaru to know for a fact that he can't have Haruhi... he really needs to move on with life. He's been stuck in one spot ever since we left high school... Haruhi's been with Tono for several years now and they're getting married. He needs to realize that it's game over." Miranda took a few steps toward Kaoru then slapped him.

Kaoru's eyes widened, "W-what was that for?"

Miranda let out a small breath, "For your stupidity."

Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "What stupidity?"

She turned her gaze away from him and stared at the cars in a giant traffic jam, "Kaoru... don't you think that playing this way is cruel? Cruel for your brother... I thought that you were on his side... it might be difficult for him to be with Haruhi but... ever since she came... he's been happy... and you must admit that it's strange that a girl with a boyfriend would easily share a bed with another man."

Kaoru frowned, "Miranda... you don't understand Haruhi..."

Miranda turned around and glared at Kaoru, "You're the one who doesn't understand Kaoru! I might not know Haruhi as well as you two but... I'm a girl! If we're not easy, we won't just climb into anyone's bed!"

With that said, Miranda began to run off away from Kaoru.

Kaoru stood still, watching her run off. For a split second, he thought of running after her, but then shook those thoughts and called up his girlfriend Rane.

~...~

When Haruhi's phone went off, she was in the middle of getting an x-ray. Hikaru was holding onto her phone. Ranka, who was sitting beside Hikaru in the lobby glanced over at him, "Hikaru... who's on the phone?" Hikaru glanced down at Haruhi's phone and frowned, "It's Tono." Ranka smirked as he grabbed the phone from Hikaru, "Tamaki? Is that you?"

Tamaki blinked a few times, not sure why Ranka's voice was coming from Haruhi's number, "H-H-H-Haruhi? Why do you sound like your father?"

Ranka stood up and then yelled out, "Maybe because I am Haruhi's father! You really shouldn't assume that the person who picks up is definitely the person on the phone!"

Tamaki's face turned white and he froze for a moment, "F-F-F-Father! Please forgive my rudeness!"

Ranka sat back down, "You can't call me father until after the wedding! Anyways, you are to address me as Sensei!"

"YES SENSEI! PLEASE FORGIVE MY RUDENESS!"

Ranka continued, "Anyways, Tamaki... what exactly is your call about?"

Tamaki relaxed, "Ah, I was wondering where Haruhi was... we're suppose to share a hotel room and head to the fashion show together."

Ranka frowned, "Absolutely NOT happening!"

Tamaki began to sulk, "Why not?"

"My daughter is NOT to be sharing a room with a guy before marriage! In any case... she's hanging out with her darling father! You wouldn't dare destroy father-daughter bonding time... now would you?"

Tamaki gulped, "N... No I wouldn't dream of it!"

Ranka smiled, "Good... then I will be meeting you with Haruhi tomorrow right before the fashion show starts. Have fun in New York." Ranka then hung up the phone and smiled. He handed the phone back to Hikaru, "Mission accomplished... now... please tell me Hikaru... are you and Haruhi on a date?"

Hikaru's face turned red as he shook it, "We're not... we just planned to grab dinner then go to a show on broadway..."

Ranka's face showed a bit of disappointment, "How disappointing... and here I was hoping that you were charming Haruhi so that she won't marry that evil vermin!"

Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "Evil vermin? I thought that you and Tamaki were getting along..."

Ranka smirked, "Oh, he will make a wonderful entertaining crossdresser under my instructions... however, I still have no intentions of letting him marry my daughter. Though, if it's what Haruhi truly desires... I have no say."

Hikaru allowed a small smile to creep up on his face.

~...~

After the phone call, Tamaki immediately noticed that everyone who was at the table was no longer there. Pouting a bit, he finally decided to leave the restaurant. Once outside, he noticed a gorgeous blond-haired caucassian woman beside Kaoru. Tamaki couldn't help but stare at the scene. The woman was gorgeous and wrapped all over Kaoru. What was a bit humorous was the fact that the woman was taller than Kaoru by several inches. What made the view even better was the fact that she was wearing high heels, which made her about a foot taller. Tamaki wasn't sure what to think. He had never in all of his life had witnessed Kaoru with a girlfriend. Sure, he knew that Kaoru had a girlfriend, but when described, this image was nothing like he expected. Seeing the body of the blond, Tamaki could only guess that she was a model.

Not wanting to be alone, Tamaki decided that he would go over there and hope that Kaoru would introduce them. He began to walk towards them when Kaoru pulled the woman down to his level and planted a kiss on her lips. Tamaki stood frozen in the sidewalk. He couldn't believe that Kaoru would show such signs of affection out in the open. Then, what surprised Tamaki further was that the woman deepened the kiss and grabbed Kaoru's ass. Such a display of affection wasn't classy at all, so Tamaki immediately rushed over there and pulled Kaoru away from the woman, "Now now Kaoru. You should know that this is no place to be making out with such a gorgeous woman."

Kaoru was irritated... beyond irritated, but decided to keep his cool. The woman then eyed Tamaki up and down. She then looked at Kaoru, "Kaoru, introduce us."

Kaoru nodded his head, "Rane, this is my friend from high school, Tamaki Suoh. Tamaki, this is my girlfriend Rane Williams." Tamaki gently took Rane's hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Miss Rane." He gently placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Rane slightly blushed, "So, I'm assuming that you're in town to see Kaoru's wonderful works?" Tamaki slightly nodded, "You are correct Mademoiselle." Rane then smirked, "Once his designs become the most popular, I shall be his primary model." One of Tamaki's eyebrows lifted, "Is that so?" Rane nodded, "Of course. As a model rising to fame, it's only natural that I wear the best designs." Tamaki let out a small laugh, "Well that does make perfect sense. So, Miss Rane... you're a model?" Rane nodded, "I am. After high school, I immediately pursued this career. When I was walking nearby the fashion campus, I ended up meeting Kaoru here. Shortly after, we began to date." Tamaki nodded, "I see... so you two have been together for awhile..." Rane nodded, "That's correct. This is our fourth year of dating."

Tamaki glanced over at Kaoru, then continued to speak with Rane, "Well Ms. Rane. It's very nice to have met you, I better get on my way." Tamaki bowed a bit, then began to walk away.

Rane turned her attention towards Kaoru, "Tamaki Suoh... he wouldn't happen to be part of the famous Suoh family... would he?" Kaoru nodded, "He is. He will be taking over the company in a few years." Rane smiled, "How intriguing. Say Kaoru, he looks rather lonely, how about we invite him along?" Kaoru nodded, "Fine by me." Rane rushed over towards Tamaki, "Tamaki!"

Tamaki stopped and turned around, "What is it?"

"Kaoru and I figured that if you're not busy... we could go watch _Legally Blond, the Muscial_." Tamaki's eyes lit up, "I would be honored to join you two!"

~...~

Haruhi walked out of the hospital room and smiled towards Hikaru and Ranka, "Everything's fine. I just injured it a little bit... the doctor said that it's nothing that pain killers can't solve."

Both Ranka and Hikaru let out a sigh of relief. Ranka then smiled, "Well then... I do believe that I shall meet up with you two later then!"

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "Really dad? You don't want to hang with us?"

Ranka winked towards Haruhi, "Oh don't worry dear! I have to meet Misuzu at our hotel, so I'll see you both tomorrow at the fashion show. You two enjoy Broadway!"

Hikaru smiled, "Thank you Ranka. Shall I get you a cab to make it to your hotel?" Ranka smiled, "That would be lovely, thank you Hikaru!" Hikaru called up a yellow cab company and gave Ranka some money to cover the cab fare, "If anything happens, make sure that you call me immediately." Ranka nodded, "Of course, thank you again."

Once Ranka left in the cab, Haruhi looked at Hikaru, "You know... my dad seems to be very familiar with you..." Hikaru shrugged, "Well, he's always taken a liking to me. Though, he does seem to enjoy the clothes that I've been styling for him and his co-workers..." Haruhi's eyes widened, "You've been designing clothes for them?" Hikaru nodded, "Yeah. I've been making a ton of designs during college so... what's the point unless they're worn?"

"I see your point..."

"Anyways, I'm glad that you're alright. I was really worried."

Haruhi let out a small laugh, "It certainly is an interesting memory now."

With that said, the two of them entered the theater that was showing _Mamma Mia._

After the show ended, Hikaru decided to treat Haruhi out for a small dessert, where they could discuss the show. After dessert, they made their way back to Hikaru's apartment.

~...~

After the show ended, Kaoru called a cab to escort Tamaki to his hotel. Rane then wrapped her arms around his abdomen, "Ka-o-ru~ want to come to my place?" Kaoru blushed with her whispering in his ears, "Not tonight... I need to rest up for the show tomorrow." Rane frowned, "Are we ever going to take this relationship to the next level?" Kaoru looked deeply into her eyes, "We will... I just... can't have sex until I know that..." Rane slapped Kaoru, "Until you know what? We've been dating for four years now! You should know that I'm the one for you by now!" Kaoru held his cheek in his left hand and stared blankly at Rane, "Sorry but... I will know when it's the right time to have sex. I really care for you and all but... I don't think that we're ready..." Rane's eyes began to form some tears, "I can't do this anymore..."

Kaoru's eyes widened, "What? Rane... you aren't serious, are you?"

Rane looked at the ground, her tears hitting the cement of the sidewalk, "We've been dating for four years now... and you haven't once even told me that you love me..."

Kaoru pulled Rane into a hug. He cared for her, he definitely cared for her a lot. What Rane was saying, really was getting to him. He let out a deep breath, his lips were next to her ear, "I love you Rane."

Kaoru then forced Rane to look into his eyes, "I love you, but... I can't love you as a lover."

Rane's knees felt weak and she fell to the ground, "Why did you lead me on all this time?"

Kaoru knelt down next to her, "I seriously wanted to love you like a man... I figured that if I continuously hang out and all with you that our relationship would evolve more. But, I guess we've been dating long enough for me to figure out my true feelings."

Rane's tears grew heavier, "Just go."

Kaoru placed his hand on her shoulder, "Rane... at least let me walk you-"

Before he could finish, Rane pushed his hand away from her. Not trying to hide her tears at all, she turned her head and looked straight into his eyes, "I don't want to be anywhere near you." Sadness overtook Kaoru's face and he turned around, "Ok... but before I leave... I want to say that I hope we can remain friends." Rane stood up and turned the opposite direction of Kaoru, "Sorry Kaoru... that's something that I can't do... but, you better keep your promise to me." Kaoru turned around and looked at her back, "Promise?" Rane turned towards him and forced herself to smile, "Yeah, when you and Hikaru become the number one designers, you have to keep the promise that I'll be your main model." Kaoru let out a laugh, "Of course." Rane then turned around and started to walk away from him. Kaoru then walked back to the apartment. Once he shut the door, he couldn't help himself from crying. He slowly walked across the living room and then collapsed onto the couch. He grabbed one of the small pillows there and allowed himself to bawl.

It wasn't much longer before Haruhi and Hikaru made it back to the apartment. The two both stared at the couch. Haruhi placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder, giving him a look to indicate that he should find out what's wrong. Hikaru nodded and carefully approached Kaoru. He sat down next to his twin and pulled him into a hug, "Kaoru, what's wrong?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **I originally intended to make this the fashion show chapter, but sorry, the actual fashion show will happen in the next chapter. But this one leads right into it. :) About Kaoru, he's been conflicting with his feelings of how to cope with Haruhi's relationships. So he's kind of back and forth. I should've clarified that. Sorry~ Also, it might take the chapters a little more longer to come out now... mainly because I had up til 15 written about a month ago, so I'm diligently working on the future chapters. I'm really struggling with 17 though. lol. I know what I want to do in the story, it just sometimes doesn't always pan out so much. Though, I do promise some cute moments with Mei/Kasanoda next chapter. Also, I want to thank everyone who's reading this. I originally started this fic just to relax myself from other things. Even if there are people who don't like the story, I'm glad that there are people interested enough in looking at it. So between rehearsals and translating Japanese folk tales as work right now... over at Deviant Art, I'm running a contest at Masaki-dot-Com (community). It's for Arashi fans. ^.^ If you don't know Arashi, I highly recommend looking them up. (It's an awesome Japanese boy band). If you like them, I have first place's prize being the "Wild At Heart" CD. So, please check it out if you're interested.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Sixteen.**

~...~

Over the course of an entire semester, Hikaru, Kaoru, Miranda, and Lucio worked their hardest to produce the best possible clothing for Kasanoda and Mei to wear for their final college project: the fashion show. This fashion show was a make or break project. If the final products were well retrieved, then not only does everyone in the group obtain their degrees, but they also have quite a large amount of recognition in the fashion world. Large name designers make sure to gather from all around the world to see what wonders are displayed on the runway. Yet, even if the clothing is designed perfectly, there's always the chance that the models can destroy it. Basically, everything must be absolutely perfect in order to succeed. Yet, these aren't the only ways for such an important task to be destroyed... if there are issues backstage, that can most certainly disrupt the entire process. The project itself is reliant on each member in the group. If one person is down, it's easy to bring everyone else down.

~...~

Kaoru didn't speak the whole night. He cluched onto Hikaru's shirt and cried until he finally fell asleep. Hikaru couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Kaoru almost never cries... and when he does cry, it's a serious matter.

Haruhi came out of Hikaru's room and sat down next to Hikaru with the sleeping Kaoru on the couch, "Hikaru... is everything alright?" Hikaru let out a deep breath, "I wish that I could say it is... but in all honesty, I have no clue what's wrong." Haruhi place a hand on his shoulder, "Hikaru, you can't let it bother you. Your fashion show is tomorrow... you need sleep." Hikaru nodded, "Thanks Haruhi... but..." Haruhi shook her head, "No 'buts'. You have to rest up well. I might not know much about the fashion industry, but I do understand that you can't function properly if you're overtired."

~...~

When morning came, Hikaru woke up to Kaoru curled up in a small ball crying on the floor. He knelt down to his brother, "Kaoru..." Kaoru looked up at his brother, "Hikaru, I can't do this." Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "Do what?"

"The fashion show!"

Hikaru stood up angry, "ARE YOU SERIOUS KAORU? AFTER ALL THE WORK THAT WE'VE PUT INTO THE PROJECT... YOU WANT TO STOP NOW?"

Kaoru stood up and walked to the kitchen, "I can't be in the fashion field anymore..."

Hikaru took a deep breath, "Kaoru... explain."

"Rane and I broke up last night."

Hikaru was surprised by the news. He hadn't imagined that they would actually break up. In Hikaru's opinion, he thought that they would end up getting married in the future. With widened eyes, Hikaru spoke up, "And that's why you want to stop working on fashion?"

Kaoru nodded, "I promised her... that if I made it big... I would most definitely let her be the face of the company. She's a gorgeous model... most of my inspiration of designs came from observing her."

Hikaru poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down, "Kaoru... if you want to stop pursuing the fashion industry, I don't give a damn but, you have to understand that if you're not in this project one-hundred percent, all of us fail! And unlike you, the rest of us want to pursue this!"

Kaoru sat down across from his brother and started to munch on a croissant, "Tell me Hikaru... if you didn't have Haruhi for inspiration, would you be able to create amazing clothes?"

Hikaru was taken aback by the question, "A true designer can. Kaoru, you know that I designed this project's clothing by observing the personalities and looks of our models... Haruhi had no influence in this project at all. Sure, I usually design clothes for her for all my other assignments, but this time around, I didn't."

Kaoru sighed, "But it was a lot harder for you..."

Hikaru nodded, "True."

"Hikaru... you're not just pursuing this career because of Mom?"

Hikaru took a sip of coffee, "In all honesty Kaoru... I have no intentions of taking over the family business."

Kaoru was stunned, "What do you mean?"

Hikaru placed his cup on the table and looked directly into Kaoru's eyes, "As much as I love Mother and her designs... I don't want my designs being a part of her company. It has always been my intention to defeat her."

"You've never said anything about this before!"

Hikaru looked into his half-filled cup of coffee, "That's because I didn't want to bring up the topic. Kaoru... I always thought that you would be the one taking over Mom's company."

Kaoru froze up, this was news to him, "But you're the oldest... it's only natural that-"

"Kaoru. I didn't want to bring this up until after we graduated but... ever since we became more independent... I've always thought of competiting with you. And, we both are great at designing clothes... I want to compete against you as a designer."

Kaoru smirked, "Why didn't you say anything beforehand? You should know that the only reason I agreed to allow you to design for this project was because I'm better at pattern designing than you. Otherwise, I would be the ideal canidate to design the outfits."

Hikaru smirked back, "Funny that you believe that... considering that you're thinking of quitting over a girl."

Kaoru took a sip of coffee, "You know Hikaru... I think that I most definitely can defeat you on this level. After we graduate... I think that it's safe to say that we're enemies."

Hikaru held his hand out, "I look forward to it."

Kaoru grabbed and shook Hikaru's hand, "So do I."

~...~

Haruhi had left early that morning to meet up for breakfast with Tamaki. After a couple days, she realized that she was acting quite childish and really needed to sit down and talk with him.

Tamaki smiled as he sat down across from Haruhi at the restaurant, "Haruhi, I'm glad to finally see you again! We have a lot to discuss!"

Haruhi nodded, "We do. Firstly, I have to apologize for running off to New York without you... but, you really need to understand that large decisions need to be spoken about together."

Tamaki nodded.

Haruhi continued, "Secondly, we need to really start planning the wedding. I will be more at ease when we're married."

"Oh Haruhi! Finally we're going to plan!" Tamaki yelled out about to jump over the table to pull Haruhi into a large hug.

"Sempai! Before you even think of jumping over the table to hug me, I want to inform you that it's not a good idea."

Tamaki frowned, "If you say so... Anyways Haruhi! What type of wedding do you want?"

~...~

Mei and Miranda both walked into the backstage area for the fashion show. It was four hours before the actual show started, but they had to start the preparations immediately. Lucio and Kasanoda arrived shortly after them.

Lucio looked over at Miranda, "Where's Hikaru and Kaoru?" Miranda shrugged, "How should I know?" Lucio began to unpack his bag of make-up supplies, "Are you alright Miranda? You seem to have an attitude." Miranda let out a small laugh, "I'm perfectly fine! Just a little nervous about the fashion show." Lucio observed her for a moment, "Let me guess... Kaoru turned you down again?" Miranda opened up a bottle of liquid foundation and shook her head, "That idiot didn't turn me down!" Lucio let out a laugh, "I knew it! Whatever it is, your attitude is because of Kaoru! Tell me... what did he do to you this time?" Miranda began to apply the foundation to Mei, "It's none of your business... but if you have to know... he made me mad, so I slapped him."

Mei blinked a couple of times, "You slapped him? You seriously slapped him?"

Miranda nodded, "He said a few things that really upsetted me... I got really angry and slapped him... I've... never done that before... but he really deserved it..."

Lucio shook his head as he pulled Kasanoda's hair back with gel, "How violent."

Miranda frowned, "In any case, your phone's going off."

Lucio picked up his phone, "Hey Baby It's Lucio! What's crack-a-lackin'?"

Mei and Miranda began to laugh aloud hearing the way that Lucio answered his phone. Miranda smiled towards Mei, "He always does silly things like this when I'm down or thinking too much..." Mei smiled, "That's a great quality to have. You're really lucky." Miranda let out a small laugh, "Lucio's like a younger brother to me."

When Lucio hung up the phone, he went back to working on Kasanoda's hair, "Miranda... I'm going to ask you to be kind towards Kaoru when he gets here."

Miranda stopped what she was doing. She turned her attention towards Lucio and stared at him. Lucio's tone was completely different and she wasn't used to it, "Why's that?"

Lucio began to comb Kasanoda's hair, "You see... he was broken up with last night."

Miranda went back to applying Mei's make-up, "I... never expected that..."

"You and me both."

~...~

Tamaki and Haruhi spent the day wandering around New York, talking about their upcoming wedding. Everything was back to normal with them and they both were having a lot of fun planning the details. When it turned to 3:00, they made sure to wait for her father in front of the auditorium that the fashion show was to be held in. When Ranka showed up, he had Misuzu with him, "Ah! Haruhi! You look adorable in that yellow dress!" Haruhi let out a small smile, "Hikaru designed it." Misuzu smiled, "Hikaru has such a bright future ahead of him! I'm sure that he'll be working side-by-side with his mother in no time!" Haruhi nodded, "He probably will..."

Tamaki smiled, "Well everyone, I know that we're here an hour early, but shall we find our seats?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **For anyone who's interested, I drew out the designs for Kasanoda and Mei. (I'm pretty bad at description) Please see my profile for the links. :) As mentioned in the last chapter, these are going to be released a bit later than what I would like, now that my work schedule has been up. I'm not abandoning this story, but it takes a bit to write these. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Seventeen.**

~...~

Hikaru and Kaoru were frantically rushing around backstage, both making sure to work their hardest in ensuring that Mei and Kasanoda were flawless before their appearance onstage. It was an exhilirating experience for everyone. The backstage area was full of models, half of them half-naked getting ready. Half of the fashion show was already over with. 

In terms of the designs, a reoccuring theme of black and white with stripes was apparent. Hikaru was exceptionally glad that their group didn't go the obvious route. Yet, the most praised piece at the moment belonged to designer Seul Jan Di's group. The piece provided was a matching mobster set of underwear. The male was wearing tight black and white striped briefs with an outline of a gun on the crotch, which had the words in red saying "Aim and Fire". The female was wearing a tight corset with a matching g-string, both with white and black stripes. What really caught the attention of the outfit was the outlines of gunshots on the breasts and crotch. On the butt, red letters spelt out "I've Been Shot By Your Gun". Everyone could all agree that the outfits themselves were very eyecatching.

Lucio frowned as he looked over at Kaoru, "The underwear! That was an absolutely brilliant idea!" Kaoru nodded, "True; however, our pieces are by far better in both execution and design. Don't think that we've lost yet." Miranda and Hikaru finished the make-up and styling of Mei.

Mei stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, "Wow... as expected." It was the first time that she had the entire ensemble together. Kasanoda glanced over and blushed, "Mei... you... you look beautiful." Mei blushed crimson and turned away, "Th... thank you." Lucio and Kaoru finally finished the make-up on Kasanoda, "Just in time!" Kasanoda stood up and looked at himself in the mirror, "I... Well... My family... They would be so proud..." Mei looked over at Kasanoda and blinked a couple of times. Kasanoda walked over to her, grabbed her hand and smiled, "How do I look?" Mei blushed at the touch of their hands, "To be honest... You look really scary." Kasanoda sighed, "Some things will never change..." Mei shook her head, "It's not that! You're not scary Kasanoda! It's the fashion... the fashion really makes you look like a hardcore yakuza boss. In terms of fashion... I really like it... and... it suits you..."

Hikaru then spoke up, "Alright, alright, enough with all the cute talks... You two can admire each other after the catwalk." Kaoru smirked and pulled the both of them towards the curtain, "It's time."

Mei and Kasanoda both walked out onto the catwalk. Mei was wearing a very short, strapless, yukata that was made of red silk with some light pink. She had on a matching geta (wooden clogs). Her hair was up in a high bun with some red ribbon and red chopsticks. Her makeup was by far the most daunting task that was done. Designed all over her skin were red and black inked designs that looked like tattoos. On her right leg, there was a red kanji that spelt out the word "love" and on her left ankle area, a red and black butterfly design. She also had a red ribbon wrapped around part of her right arm.

Kasanoda wore red silky kapris with a black belt that included two pockets to store a simple weapon. He was covered with red and black ink designs that matched Mei along with a black love kanji on his chest. He also wore red geta.

~...~

Ranka and Misuzu froze when the two models came out. They both found the fashion extremely romantic. After Mei and Kasanoda posed for the first time, Misuzu spoke up, "They're portraying a romance! Very bold! I love it!" Ranka nodded with the assessment, "I agree! Not only bold, but simply gorgeous. It's a dangerous love song playing out on the stage! Very well received!" Tamaki was watching Kasanoda and Mei while listening to Ranka and Misuzu's assessments. He honestly couldn't grasp the romantic side of these costumes... except for the kanji spelling out "love". Tamaki knew that if he asked either one of them, they would lose any and all respect for him, so he inched in closer to Haruhi and whispered gently in her ear, "Haruhi, what do you think of the designs?" Haruhi studied the models for a few seconds, then whispered back to Tamaki, "Fashionable." Tamaki wasn't really expecting such an obvious response, so he tried again, "Besides fashionable... what kind of feelings are the two models showing off?" Haruhi frowned, "Will you stop pestering me? I'm trying to watch and enjoy the show without commentary!"

~...~

The way that the auditorium was set up, allowed snacks and beverages to be served. The layout was more of a dinner-theater feel than a fashion show. Instead of several rows of seats, there were small round tables set all around the vicinity. Each table had seating up to 6. In the tables closest to the runway were all the most famous fashion designers. On the third table from the left, Hitacchin Yuzuha, the mother of the twins sat with her husband and a two other fashion designers. That table in itself was very impressive.

At that table, Yuzuha was discussing the different designs. She was very impressed with the current designs. Yuzuha's largest competitor, the face of Korean fashion, Seul Ae Cha smiled, "They are quite stunning designs." Yuzuha smiled, "I absolutely agree. The designs are very tasteful."

~...~

Kasanoda and Mei both made it to the end of the runway and turned towards each other. Kasanoda then pulled Mei closer towards him and aggressively kissed her on the lips. In order to show off the romanticism of the outfits, he figured that this gesture was perfectly fine. Mei lost herself in the kiss and wrapped her arms tightly around Kasanoda's neck. After thirty seconds of kissing, they both strutted back, posing here and there for the cameras. Once backstage, Hikaru and Kaoru smirked towards the two. Hikaru then spoke up, "Hmmm, so Bossa Nova is actually ballsy enough to kiss a girl in front of all those people." Kaoru placed an arm around Mei, "How was he? Any good?" Kasanoda's and Mei's faces began to turn bright red with embarrassment. Mei pulled away from Kaoru, "Get off it!" She then tightly grabbed Kasanoda's hand and pulled him away from the twins, "We need to get out of costume now." The twins both looked at the scene and their smirks widened, "Aahh, Mei is making excuses to keep Bossa Nova away from us." "How selfish~" Mei stopped and turned towards the twins, "So what if that's what I'm doing?" Kasanoda's face turned a scarlet color and the twins blinked a few times. They weren't expecting Mei to actually admit to that, so they were taken aback. The twins then proceeded to show a 'carry on' gesture, "Fine, fine. Have fun making out backstage." Mei's face turned brighter, but she refused to let the twins get the better of her, so she took a small breath and smiled, "Why thank you! That's a wonderful suggestion!" With that said, she pulled Kasanoda away from them. Once out of view from the majority of people backstage, she smiled up towards Kasanoda and smiled, "I like you Kassanoda." Kasanoda's face became the same shade as his hair, "I... I like you too." With that said, Kasanoda pulled Mei closer to him and gave her a sweet peck on the lips. He then smiled, "Actually, I love you." Mei's eyes widened a little bit, then softened. She pulled him into another kiss, then whispered in his ear, "I love you too."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **Yay! I'm getting this chapter out earlier than intended. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Eighteen.**

~...~

It was another forty-five minutes until the fashion show came to an end. During the fashion show, Tamaki made sure to listen closely to each comment Misuzu and Ranka were making about each piece. When it came to the last few pieces, Tamaki felt that he understood the way of fashion, so he calmly raised his voice a little above a whisper, "I feel that this work of amazing art is filled with as much passion that an owner has for his puppy!" Misuzu shook his head and Ranka frowned, "It's obvious that you don't have a clue what you're talking about! Do you see the splatters of red in that outfit? It's obviously a tragic love story! Two lovers died for the sake of art! It's so tragic!" Tamaki analyzed the model's clothing a bit closer and nodded, "I understand! I completely understand what you're saying!" Tamaki clenched Ranka's hands with tears in his eyes, "It's so sad! So tragic! Makes me want to do something about it!" Haruhi placed a hand on her head, "Will you all just keep quiet? Your emotional commentary is extremely embarrassing." Ranka and Tamaki both looked at Haruhi with hurt eyes, "But Haruhi~" Haruhi shook her head, "I'm not going to listen to either of your reasonings."

~...~

Once the show was completely over, clapping ensued and the Dean of the college stood up on stage, "Please give our judges a few more minutes to make their decisions. Then, we will release the winners of the fashion show."

~...~

Yuzuha's table was speaking drastically about multiple designs through the show. Since everyone at the table were well-known in the fashion world, it was essential for them to be judges.

~...~

Tamaki glanced over at Haruhi, "Haruhi... who do you think is going to win?" Haruhi thought for a moment, "I'm not really sure. I'm no good with these things." Tamaki took his hand and placed it on her knee for reassurance, "It's alright. You'll learn fashion in time." Haruhi decided that she would ignore his last comment, finding it completely irrelevant to her. She really had no interest in learning fashion. Ranka took notice of where Tamaki placed his hand and took his leg and decided to kick Tamaki from underneath the table. "Ow!" Tamaki squealed feeling the impact. Ranka began to laugh, "Oh, sorry Tamaki~ I completely didn't realize how small this table was~ hahaha" Tamaki gave off some nervous laughter then moved his hand from Haruhi's knee. He had a suspicion that Ranka didn't like the small amount of pda. Ranka charmingly placed his hands on the table and smiled towards Haruhi, "Haruhi. Papa wants to take you and your fiance to a nice meal tonight! Oh! And since we're here for the fashion show... obviously I must invite Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun!" Haruhi nodded, "Ok." Tamaki twitched at the mention of the twins, but bit his tongue before he said anything. Misuzu was still staring at the stage, "Wasn't my precious Mei gorgeous tonight? Though~ she never informed me about this man~ I can't WAIT to talk to her tonight!" Misuzu turned towards Haruhi, "Please make sure that Mei and that male model also make it to dinner with us tonight!" Haruhi nodded, "Uh... sure." Ranka then spoke up again, "Oh, we should invite the whole team! They all worked so hard! And Hikaru-kun has told me so much about them! The young man named Lucio sounds quite charming!" Misuzu nodded his head, "Oh! That's a wonderful idea!" Tamaki nodded, "You both have such splendid ideas!" Ranka nodded, "Why of course we do." Misuzu smiled, "That's right... which is why..." Ranka and Misuzu both decided to speak at the same time, "The best idea is having the future husband of Haruhi pay for the whole meal!" Tamaki sunk down in his seat. He really believed that he was getting treated out, but now the tables had turned, "But... uh... didn't you say..." Ranka smiled darkly, "Are you trying to get out of this Tamaki?" Tamaki quickly shook his head, "Absolutely not! I... I was actually going to... uh... offer to pay the whole time!" Haruhi just shook her head.

~...~

The judges were having a bit of a small arguement coming up with first place, but then they settled it. Before no time, the Dean took out a small piece of paper and began to announce the results, "In third place, for their charming all red-suitted pieces, we award to the Dah Ling team!" The audience clapped, then the Dean continued, "In second place sporting an amazing display of love on stage, the Hitacchiin Team!" The audience clapped. Hikaru, Kaoru, Lucio, Miranda, Mei, and Kasanoda all walked onto the stage to receive their award. "In first place, the shockingly sexy display belongs to the Seul Team!" The audience applauded as the Korean girl with the rest of her group came onto stage to receive their awards. Hikaru glanced into the audience and immediately noticed his mother's displeased face. He could tell that she wasn't in favor of how the placing went. Kaoru then whispered into Hikaru's ear, "Don't you think that Mom looks a bit pale?" Hikaru nodded, "I do... She looks a bit angry too... I bet that she got into another heated arguement with Seul Ae Cha..." Kaoru nodded, "Yeah... those two hate each other with a passion." Hikaru then glanced over towards Seul Jan Di, the girl who just received her first place award. He then spoke back towards Kaoru, "And I don't know what to think about the daughter..." Kaoru nodded, "I've heard rumors, but I never was able to get in a class with her." Miranda took notice of the twins chatting back and forth. By elimination, she could easily tell what they were talking about. She quietly whispered in-between the both of them, "Seul Jan Di was in a couple of my classes. She was extremely hard working, but never spoke a word to anyone. I've heard many rumors about her as well... the most important one being that she's going to be taking over her mother's company right after she graduates and the second one being that she's absolutely not allowed to be romantically involved." The twins turned their attention towards Miranda. Hikaru then spoke, "Why exactly is she not allowed to get romantically involved?" Miranda continued, "From the rumors, it sounds like her parents have arranged a marriage with a very important political leader. The rumor claims that the man chosen is related to the Prime Minister of Japan. I also heard that Seul Ae Cha has been forcing nothing but studying fashion on her daughter. The Seul company is rumored to have newly opened shops in Harajuku starting in the next few months. From what I've heard some of the professors say... it seems that she wants to start a war with your mother." Kaoru smirked, "A war, huh?" Hikaru smirked even more, "Well, it seems like that family will be important to monitor." Kaoru looked at Miranda, "Do you know anything else?" Miranda shook her head, "I don't know anything else, but I think that you two need to be careful. If the marriage with that one family goes through, the popularity of that brand is going to sky rocket, leaving your mother's business to decline rapidly." Hikaru laughed, "That doesn't matter to me; however... if anyone is going to bring down my mother's business... it's going to be me." Kaoru laughed, "Aah, you really believe that you can beat us Hikaru?" Hikaru smirked, "Naturally." Miranda looked back and forth between the two. She decided not to question them.

~...~

When everything ended, Hikaru and Kaoru both met with their parents. Yuzuha looked at her boys and hugged them, "I thought for certain that you two would win first... unfortunately, that ugly skanky design won. The future of Seul is really going down the drains! Now, how about we begin to discuss your work schedule." Hikaru clenched his fists together, "About that Mother... I want you to know that I have no intention of working for your company."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Sorry that this took so long to get out! I swear that I didn't forget about this fanfic! It's just that a lot of things have been coming up in this thing called the real world. So, I'll try to get the chapters out as fast as possible, but they might take awhile. Anyways, I do hope that you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Nineteen.**

~...~

Yuzuha stared at her son in shock. The words he spoke echoed in her head, _"About that Mother... I want you to know that I have no intention of working for your company."_ She stood still for about a minute then began to giggle aloud, "That's a good one dear..."

Hikaru frowned, "I'm NOT making up a joke!" Yuzuha let out a small breath and placed a hand on her head, "Sorry Hikaru, but really, you shouldn't make such ridiculous lies up." Hikaru raised his voice, "I'm serious! I have no intentions of working for the family company! After meeting people with different backgrounds and living away from Japan for several years, I've been able to sort out what I really want! And living under the family's name for ages isn't what I want! I want to be seen as an independant man! Besides! I'm the older twin! If I took over, then where does Kaoru fit into everything? I would be CEO and what would happen to him! Personally Mother... I'm sick of being associated with Kaoru constantly! Even though I changed my hair color years ago... people STILL think of Kaoru and me as one in the same! I'm sick of it!"

Kaoru's eyes widened. Sure, he knew a bit about Hikaru's true feelings, but he didn't realize how much affected Hikaru. "Hikaru..." Kaoru stated quietly. Hikaru turned towards Kaoru, "I wasn't lying when I said that I wanted to seriously compete against you. Just wait a few years... I'll have the best damn fashion company!" Hikaru turned back towards his mother, "And Mother! I will make sure to crush the family company! From today onwards, I'm not part of the Hitacchin family." His Mother's eyes widened and some tears began to form in her eyes, "Hikaru..." Hikaru turned away from her, "It's not that I don't appreciate you... I just am done with being the little rich boy!" Hikaru refused to look behind him, he knew that if he looked, he would more than likely cave into staying with his family. He knew that his words hurt his mother, and possibly Kaoru as well. So, he quickly walked out of the venue and started to go down the streets of New York.

~...~

That night, everyone except Hikaru showed up at a very ritsy restaurant for dinner. The one treating of course was Tamaki due to what Ranka and Misuzu had to say. While sitting at the table, Ranka looked at Kaoru, "Kaoru-san, what ever happened to your brother?" Kaoru took a small breath, "He stormed out of the venue after he told mother he's not going to take over the family business... I've tried to call him but... he's ingoring my calls." Ranka sighed, "I guess it can't be helped..." Tamaki perked up, "Well, even without Hikaru, the rest of the gang is here! Congratulations on your second place win! KAMPAI!" Lucio glared towards Tamaki, "It's not much of a celebration without the one who created the designs." Tamaki gulped, "Sorry..."

Haruhi let out a small laugh, "Well, let's not all be down... congratulations on your modeling debut Kasanoda-kun and Mei-chan!" Haruhi lifted her glass into the air and everyone happily yelled "Kampai!" as they all clinked glasses. Misuzu smiled towards Mei, "Oh Mei! You were absolutely lovely up there! I can't believe that you're going to become a famous model~" Mei let out a sigh, "I'm not becoming a famous model..." Misuzu then smiled towards Kasanoda, "And you~ how long have you been dating my precious daughter?" Kasanoda's face was bright red with embarrassment, "Uh well... errr.. ummm..." Mei was irked with her father, "STOP IT! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING HIM!" Misuzu let out a laugh, "But you two look so precious together! I can't wait for the grandchildren you two will make for me~" Kasanoda spat out his drink and nearly fainted while Mei stood up and slammed her glass on the table, "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE'RE JUST DATING! DON'T START JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE!"

The waiter ended up approaching the table and began to hand out specialty desserts. Tamaki looked at the waiter confused, "I believe that you've got the wrong table..." The waiter shook his head, "I don't. These are a gift from a fan of the artwork." Tamaki shrugged, "Oh, well thank them for us." The waiter carefully placed a bowl of icecream in front of each person at the table. Kaoru smiled, "It's nice to know that we have fans." Miranda smiled, "That's right, let's enjoy this gift!" With that said, they began to eat the icecream.

Fifteen minutes after finishing up the icecream, Miranda all of a sudden collapsed. Kaoru and Lucio immediately rushed to her side on the ground, "Miranda? MIRANDA!" Lucio began to check for a heartbeat, "She's got a heartbeat, but it's a bit irregular! Someone call a hospital!" Kaoru's face paled as he watched Miranda's face get paler and paler, her breathing seemed to stopped. Yuzuha hung up her phone, "An ambulence is on it's way."

When the medics came, Miranda was escorted to the hospital. Lucio rode with her. Kaoru then turned towards his mother, "You don't seem fazed by this." Yuzuha nodded, "There's a reason that I refuse to eat anything that's considered a 'gift'." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?" Yuzuha looked right into her son's eyes, "If you're going to seriously take over the company, you need to research your friends and enemies. There are companies that will bend over backwards to get your help... they're considered 'friends'... then there's enemies, the ones that you know will try to backstab you no matter what. They can't wait to see the company fail." Kaoru nodded, "What does that have to do with this?" Yuzuha continued, "My face is very well-known... I bet that poisoned icecream was meant for my lips. It seems that the waiter mistakened who was to get that specific bowl." Kaoru's eyes widened, "An attempted murder?" Yuzuha nodded, "It's popular in the fashion industry believe it or not. The majority of attempts tend to not be reported to the public." Kaoru clenched his fist, "I will never forgive them for what they did!" Yuzuha nodded, "But Kaoru, you must not hold emotionally onto these sort of events... it's best for you to try your best not to get attached to them." Kaoru grasped his mother's shoulders, "They could've killed Miranda!" Yuzuha nodded, "I know, but you can't let that get to you." Kaoru stood there stunned with his mother's answer. He knew what she was trying to say, but how could he not get emotionally involved when it dealt with a great friend?

Kaoru let go of his mother, "Sorry..." Yuzuha nodded, "Well, I'm heading back to Japan. When you're back in town, let me know. I'll work on training you." Kaoru nodded, "Yes mother." He then called up a taxi and had them drive him to the hospital.

~...~

After the events that took place, Haruhi immediately took her phone and called Hikaru. He didn't answer, so she left a message. An hour later, she tried again, but Hikaru still wouldn't pick up. After calling for several times, she gave up. Tamaki placed an arm around her, "Are you ok, Haruhi?" Haruhi shook her head, "I don't get it... why did this happen to Miranda? She's such a nice girl... and... what I really don't get is why Hikaru won't pick up his phone... this is an emergency..."


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **I'm glad that there's a bunch of people enjoying this fanfic. I seriously didn't think that I would get so many readers. So I want to say thank you! Now~ here's the next chapter! And yes~ I was able to update twice in one day!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty.**

~...~

_One Month Later..._

Ranka sighed as Tamaki and Haruhi sent out invitations for their wedding. As much as he knew they were going to eventually get married, an actual date bothered him. What bothered him even more was the fact that regardless of how many times he tried to call or text Hikaru, he couldn't get through. Infact, no one could get through to Hikaru.

Ranka went into his room and began to throw dresses all over the place, "I can't wear this one! It's too old! This newer one is gorgeous, but I wore it a few days ago! Ahhh! This is the worst!" Haruhi sighed and walked into her father's room, "What's wrong now Dad?" Ranka embraced Haruhi, "Oh Haruhi! It's horrible! I don't have any clothes to wear for work tonight!" Haruhi glanced at the clothing all over the room and pointed, "What about all of those?" Ranka shook his head, "Absolutely not! I need something new and sexy! Ah! If only my favorite designer would send his clothes!"

At that point in time, there was a knock on the door. Since Haruhi and Ranka were busy talking, Tamaki decided to answer the door. A delivery man smiled, "Ah, there's a package, could you please sign here?" Tamaki nodded and signed for the package. "Have a nice day sir." Tamaki then gently knocked on the door to Ranka's room, "Umm..."

There wasn't an answer. After ten minutes of waiting, Tamaki opened the door to the bedroom. Ranka covered up his chest, "Ah! How dare you enter a maiden's room, you Ingrate!" Tamaki immediately turned around, "I'm SORRY!" Haruhi shook her head, "Dad... you're overreacting... anyways, Tamaki... what's up?" Tamaki spoke up, "A package came." Ranka immediately opened the door as wide as he could, "Why didn't you say so earlier! Why, hurry and bring the package to your future daddy!" Tamaki's eyes lit up, "Yes Father!" Ranka frowned, "I'm NOT your father! Don't address me as such!" Tamaki placed the package in Ranka's hands then went into the other corner, where he began to pout a bit.

Ranka quickly opened the box up and smiled, "Ah! A new dress at last!" Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "Well, you finally have something to wear... congratulations..." She turned around and went into the other room, "Let's go Tamaki." Ranka ran to Haruhi, "Don't leave! You have to see me in this outfit!" Haruhi sighed, "I'm not interested..." Ranka frowned, "Fine! Be that way!" Tamaki shook his head, "We'll stay! We can't wait to see how stunning you'll look! Right, Haruhi?" Haruhi sighed, "You're such a pushover sometimes..."

Ranka showed off his new dress by strutting around the living room. Tamaki clapped loudly, "You look gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!" Haruhi watched unamused, "Nice dress dad.. now we're leaving..." With that said, Haruhi grabbed Tamaki's arm and forced him out of the apartment.

~...~

Kaoru walked into the Hitacchin household, his Mother was eagerly awaiting him after he called her on the phone. Yet, what his mother wasn't expecting was seeing company with him, "Kaoru... may I inquire why you have brought company over?" Kaoru smirked, "Mother. The only way that I'm going to take over the company is if Miranda can work with me." Yuzuha let out a deep breath, "You shouldn't be thinking about secretaries right now... you need to take your time and learn the ropes first." Kaoru shook his head, "I have no intentions of making her a secretary! I know her work! She'll be an excellent addition to the team!" Yuzuha sighed, "Well, I guess that she can start at the bottom of the chain and if she's as good as you think, she'll work her way up." Kaoru gave a slight glare towards his mother. He didn't like the way that she was treating Miranda.

"Anyways Kaoru, tomorrow, I'll show you around, then the training will begin. Today however; I will educate you here about our friends and enemies."

Yuzuha explained the relationships between each company, Kaoru then spoke up, "So it was the Seul family that attacked us in New York!" Yuzuha shook her head, "Even though their coompany is our biggest threat, they have no reason to try to kill someone." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "But! I saw Seul Jan Di and her group there!" Yuzuha had malice in her voice when she spoke next, "Kaoru! You need to learn the ropes! The most likely candidate of attacking us is most definitely one of our 'friends'." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "Why would they-" Miranda then spoke up, "Kaoru, the Seul family plans to take over completely with the marriage of Jan Di to the prime minister's son." Yuzuha nodded, "She's quite informed, I like that." Miranda gave a slight smile towards Yuzuha. Kaoru continued, "So, are you going to answer my question?" Yuzuha nodded, "The friends try to take as much advantage of us as possible, when we thrive, it's harder for them to get out there. I bet that one of the companies were upset with the new line that is currently all the rage." Kaoru shook his head, "This is all difficult to grasp." Yuzuha took a sip of tea, "Anyways, just forget about that incident. I'm sorry that Ms. Miranda here got poisoned, but she's ok now." Kaoru bit the bottom of his lip. The lack of care that his mother had bothered him. "Of course Mother..."

~...~

Ranka was excited to show up to work. Once he arrived, he glanced around and walked over to his boss, "Boss! Where's the new worker?" The boss pointed to the side, "Over there." "Thank you!" Ranka quickly rushed over towards a man wearing a bright pink princess dress. Once he approached him, his arms wrapped around him, "We've been worried about you Hikaru!" Hikaru let out a sigh, "Sorry that I haven't contacted in awhile..." Ranka shook his head, "It's alright! I'm glad that you sent a letter with the most recent dress... which, may I say is FAB-U-LOUS!" Hikaru let out a laugh, "I'm glad that you like it." Ranka smiled, "So, you need to tell me what's going on." Hikaru nodded, "I'll talk after work. Today, I will make sure to make a good amount of money."

~...~

After work, Ranka led Hikaru over to his apartment. Once inside, he made tea for the both of them, "Alright Hikaru... what's happened this past month?" Hikaru took a deep breath, "After I left the venue, I immediately grabbed a plane ticket to go back to Japan. I then quickly bought an apartment room. I noticed within a week, Mother cut off my account. So, I began to search for a job. I ended up working part-time at a local bakery, but that amount wasn't enough to support myself. So, I started to search for another job, but couldn't find one. I ended up going through my scraps that I had kept from school. I sold the items on the street to gain a bit more money. I've been trying to start up my own fashion business, but the cost is too much. So, since I know that crossdressers are into my style, I decided to talk to the owner of your work to see if he'd be willing to employ me. He agreed. He also is going to provide me with an extra job, one where I design the costumes for the new boys working here. I'm grateful." Ranka nodded, "So, why have you been avoiding contacting everyone? Didn't you hear about Miranda?"

Hikaru let out a deep breath, "I heard about her. I heard Haruhi's messages but... If I showed back up, things would get out of hand... Anyways, right now, I want to succeed the best that I can, and once my business takes off, I can finally take care of the things important to me."

Ranka sighed, "Haruhi and Tamaki have set up a date... they're really going to get married Hikaru."

The face on Hikaru's face was a mixture of hurt and confusion. Hikaru knew that this day was going to come, but a part of him felt that it would take years. Hikaru was absolutely silent, his heart hurting inside.

Ranka spoke up again, "Didn't you tell Haruhi that you would make her dress?"

Hikaru let out a small breath, "I did... that's the only thing that I can do for her..."

Ranka handed Hikaru his cellphone, "Call her."

Hikaru raised his head and looked at Ranka, "But-"

Ranka frowned, "No buts! You will make my daughter a gorgeous bride! Call her now!"

Hikaru nodded and used his phone to call Haruhi.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **There's so many elements to this story that it's a bit overwhelming at times when I start writing. lol.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-One.**

~...~

Instead of sleeping that morning after work, Hikaru found himself at Ranka's. Not only that, he ended up talking to Haruhi on the phone.

He slumped down onto the floor as he ended the call. Ranka wrapped an arm around him, "That wasn't too hard, right Hikaru?" Hikaru let out a breath, "I... I don't know if I can do this..." Ranka stood up, crossed his arms, and frowned, "That's not the spirited Hikaru that I know!" Hikaru smirked a bit and looked up towards Ranka, "I guess that my character's changing some, huh?" Ranka shook his head, "A depressed boy is not attractive! How will you ever win _my_ precious Haruhi like this?" Hikaru blinked a few times, "Eh? What did you say?" Ranka's lips formed a smile and he pulled Hikaru up from the floor, "If you think that I'm ok with her marrying a guy like that, you're heavily mistaken!" Hikaru let out a laugh, "If you're so against the marriage, why did you agree?" Ranka let out a sigh, "Haruhi will always win against me... what she decides, I will fully support her. But you know what Hikaru?" Hikaru listened closely to what Ranka had to say. "I will fully support you too. I know your feelings towards my daughter and personally, I view you as a son."

At that moment in time, Haruhi opened the door and walked in, "Dad! Hikaru! You both are still here." Ranka rushed over to Haruhi and glomped her, "Oh Haruhi! You look adorable this morning!" Haruhi let out a small sigh, "Thanks Dad... uhh... I came to see Hikaru." Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "How did you know I was here?" Haruhi let out a small smile, "Caller ID. Your call came from my dad's number." Hikaru face palmed, "Of course..."

Haruhi smiled, "Anyways, have you eaten breakfast yet?" Hikaru shook his head, "Not yet." Haruhi nodded, "I'll cook something... it would be too embarrassing for you to go out in public like that." Hikaru had a confused look on his face, "Embarrassing? How so?" Haruhi began to cook some rice and giggled, "Just look in a mirror." Hikaru rushed into the restroom and took a look in the mirror. His face turned a bit red noticing the smeared make-up from the gig beforehand. He took a small towel, soap, and water and began to scrub his face.

Ranka watched as Haruhi was cooking, "So Haruhi, how are the wedding preparations coming along?"

"Uh, they're fine. Tamaki's looking for all the stuff with Kyoya today."

Ranka frowned, "What happened to planning with the groom to be?"

"He has so many ideas in his head that I would get annoyed if I went shopping with him. As long as I work with Hikaru on the dress that's all that really matters."

Ranka shook his head, "But what if Tamaki comes up with something strange?"

Haruhi froze for a moment, "Hmm... I doubt that he would screw up something as simple as picking out things for a wedding."

"DAMMIT! GET OFF!" Hikaru screamed from the restroom.

Ranka laughed and walked into the restroom, "Top shelf. I have make-up remover you can use."

Hikaru grabbed the bottle, "Thanks."

Haruhi watched her father, "Say Dad?"

"What is it?"

"How was the wedding between you and Mom?"

~...~

Kyoya shook his head once again, "Tamaki. I don't think that's suitable for a wedding. How about we do some research on what kind of wedding you want rather than grabbing everything in sight?"

Tamaki looked at his cart full of various items, "But Kyoya! These all are very wedding-suitable!"

Kyoya let out a deep breath of irritation, "Are you serious?"

Tamaki nodded, "Of course! There's nothing better than a gorgeous medeival wedding! Outside! With all these shiny daggers and armor!"

Kyoya grabbed his phone and called Haruhi.

"Hello?" Haruhi picked up her cell.

"Hey Haruhi... are you aware that your wedding is going to be outdoors and a mixture of medieval weapons and armor with a bunch of random sparkly items?"

Haruhi stopped what she was doing, "Medieval? Is he serious?"

Kyoya nodded, "Please talk some sense into him... with how he's going... this will become a disaster."

"Ok, hand him the phone."

Kyoya handed the phone to Tamaki, "It's Haruhi."

"HARUHIIIIIIIIiiii! I'm so excited! You'll love the stuff that I found! All extravagant items! You'll love it!"

Haruhi let out a bored tone, "No weapons or armor. And I refuse to have a medeival wedding. Outdoors is fine, but no where near a forest... oh, and not near the beach. I don't want to deal with you jumping in the water during the ceremony... Hmm... and nothing too cliche... So... maybe we should just stay away from the outdoors in general."

Tamaki pouted, "But Haru-"

"No Tamaki. I don't want period-era outfits or items. Just a normal wedding."

"Then Haruhi! Let's shop together!"

Haruhi shook her head, "Absolutely not."

"A little bit of shopping Haruhi?"

Haruhi thought for a moment, "I guess that we can look for the cake and flowers together..."

"Alright! I can't wait! Love you Haruhi! Bye!"

~...~

Haruhi hung up the phone with irritation, "Breakfast's ready." Ranka, Hikaru, and Haruhi all sat down together at the table. "Itadakimasu!" They all began to eat.

"So Hikaru... about the dress, I figure that we should discuss it together."

Hikaru nodded, "What do you have in mind?"

Haruhi thought for a moment, "Something... white."

Ranka shook his head, "Oh Hikaru! I'm so sorry that my daughter knows nothing about fashion!"

Haruhi frowned, "I just want a western-styled white dress! I don't want to wear a kimono."

Hikaru laughed, "Don't worry Haruhi, I'll make a few sketches, then you can tell me what you like."

Haruhi nodded, "Thanks Hikaru."

Ranka then smiled towards Haruhi, "So Haruhi, who's the maid of honor?"

"Mei-chan... though, after she agreed, I haven't heard anything from her."

Hikaru let out a small breath, "That's because I asked her to be a model for my designs. I personally would want you to model all of my women's clothing but... I know that you wouldn't be interested. Also... Lucio is working for me as well. We're all trying our best to get the company out there."

Ranka smiled, "You shouldn't have a problem Hikaru. Just enter a few competitions and leak out who your mother is."

Hikaru frowned, "I don't want to use her name to become famous."

Ranka smirked, "You don't know how the press work. Using people is the best way to get what you want."

Hikaru sighed, "But I really don't want to be associated with her."

Ranka continued, "Hikaru... trust me on this. The second that it's out that you're related, your company will be all over the papers. You'll become popular and people will search through your brand. Another thing that would work is getting a celebrity to endorse you."

Hikaru thought for a moment, "I don't have a celebrity that I could use..."

Ranka laughed, "Well, it's not a big deal. Once your name gets out there, you might get some offers."

~...~

_Two Weeks Later..._

Haruhi and Hunny arrived infront of the cake shop, appearing before Tamaki. Tamaki frowned seeing Hunny there, "Why did you invite him?" Haruhi smiled towards Hunny, "Hunny-sempai loves cakes, so of course he'll be helpful." Hunny jumped for joy, "I can't wait to try the cakes!" Haruhi laughed, "Let's go in."

Tamaki critiqued every single cake. He didn't like a single one of them because they weren't "the taste of love". Haruhi and Hunny both frowned at Tamaki. "Tama-chan! The cakes are delicious! What's this nonsense about the taste of love?" Tamaki clenched his chest, "The taste of love is none other than the sensation one gets from eating the cake! It makes you feel like you're on cloud nine!" Haruhi stared at him, "Are you serious?" Tamaki nodded, "Of course! I once had a cake like that when I was little!" Haruhi shook her head, "I think that the lemon one is good... here, try some." Tamaki looked at the cake, "But I tried it earlier..." Haruhi lifted a fork with a piece of cake and fed it to Tamaki. Tamaki then jumped up and down, "This is the flavor! The flavor of love! We'll take it!" Haruhi sighed and Hunny laughed, "It seems that Tama-chan just wanted to feel on cloud nine from you." Haruhi shook her head, "He's such an idiot sometimes."

Tamaki smiled and grabbed Haruhi's hand, "Let's go look at the flowers!" Haruhi nodded, "Uh... sure." Hunny waved towards them, "See you both later!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **And here's the latest chapter! Hope that you all enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Two.**

~...~

Kaoru sat next to his mother at the latest Summer Fashion Show sponsored by Designer Seul Ae Cha. It was only neccessary to pay close attention to each and every piece. Since the Hitacchin's summer show was next week, they needed to see the competition. Kaoru was blown away with the swimsuits featured. He had been interested in swimsuits for awhile, yet seeing these new styles really got him excited. He made sure to take some notes on the reactions of the audience members.

While Kaoru was completely involved with the fashion show, Yuzuha began to whisper to Miranda, who was sitting next to her on the other side. Miranda made sure to scan the area, then she smiled and nodded towards Yuzuha.

At the end of the fashion show, Kaoru looked at his mother, "Their designs are stunning; however, I do believe that our line is much better." Yuzuha nodded, a smirk playing upon her features, "Of course our designs are better. If you couldn't tell, we have the better fabric. Not only that, but our color scheme is bolder. Young women and teenagers want the bolder colors to stand out. It's only natural that we'll win. Also... this work of theirs is of an amateur. Granted, it's great items; however, it's obvious that the designer isn't Ae Cha. Each and every one of the designs are that of Seul Jan Di." Yuzuha scanned the area, then patted Kaoru on the back, "Come, let us speak to Seul Ae Cha. We must make sure that our prescence is known." Kaoru nodded and began to head in the direction of Ae Cha, who was surrounded by press. Before reaching, Kaoru turned towards his mother, "Where's Miranda?" Yuzuha let out a small breath, "Miranda is getting some fresh air right now. Don't worry Kaoru, she'll be back with us in no time." Kaoru wasn't thrilled with the answer, but none-the-less went along with his mother.

Ae Cha made sure to grab her daughter and smiled, "Actually, the surprise about this collection is the fact that each and every swimsuit wasn't designed by me, but designed by my very talented daughter Jan Di. Even though she just graduated, I wanted to allow her to challenge herself on a world-wide scale. If you all are wondering where my designs are, don't worry, I have another Summer Fashion Show next week, which features my 'Dandelion Line'. I do hope that you all will attend."

Yuzuha frowned hearing that information, but immediately forced a smile. Ae Cha smiled seeing the competition, "Ah, Miss Hitacchin, I do hope that you enjoyed the new line." Yuzuha nodded, "I found it quite flavorful. It seems that Miss Jan Di will most certainly raise in the ranks soon." Ae Cha sweetly nodded, "Not only is Jan Di talented, but she also is going to marry the prime minster in the future. Ah, Miss Hitacchin, who is that accompanying you today?" Yuzuha placed an arm around Kaoru. Everything going on between the two designers was all an act for the press. If you know how to work the press, then you most definitely are at an advantage. Yuzuha spoke up, "This is my son, Kaoru, he's the heir to my company." Ae Cha's grin widened, "Ah, Mr. Kaoru... what did you think of my daughter's designs?" Kaoru wasn't thrilled that he had to answer, but he gave a charming smile, "Very simple and nice. I do believe that a large variety of women will be interested in the swimsuits... however, I do believe that the fabric used could be a much better quality." Ae Cha twitched, "Oh, you are very observant. The choice of fabric is very durable though. Rather than using a very expensive fabric, we have decided to go with this one. Not only is it of a nice quality, but it's also cheaper, which leads to the point that everyone can have a fashionable swimsuit this year. By the way Kaoru, why is it that you aren't designing for your mother's company?" Before Kaoru could speak up, Yuzuha spoke, "Oh, he actually is designing. Kaoru will be featuring three swimsuits and three sundresses for my latest show." Ae Cha raised an eyebrow, then smiled, "Well, I do look forward to it; however, I'm afraid that I won't be able to show up at the show... considering that I will be having my Dandelion Line featured at the same time." Kaoru bit the bottom of his lip. He wasn't thrilled that he had to come up wtih six designs by next week. Yuzuha smiled, "Well, I do wish the best success for all of us. Now, please excuse us." Ae Cha smiled, "Of course."

Yuzuha and Kaoru left the building. "Mom... why did you say all that?" "Calm down Kaoru. It's publicity. Besides, I know that you've been working on designs. It's just that instead of you playing around, this time, they'll be used. If Jan Di's name is getting popular, it's only a neccessity that your name gets out there. The press is a game. If you can't play games, then it's game over. Just remember that." Kaoru nodded, "Alright. I'll work harder on my designs." Yuzuha smiled, "Besides, I do want to prove Ae Cha wrong. The reason that she challenged you is the fact that she doesn't believe that you can come out with winning designs. Obviously, we're going to prove her wrong. Also, she doesn't realize that we've got an ace up our sleeves." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean Mother?" Yuzuha shook her head, "Don't worry about it. All will be reveled in due time." At this point in time, Miranda appeared, "Sorry that I was gone for so long." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "Where have you been?" Miranda smiled, "I went to the restroom." Yuzuha smiled, "Well, I'll treat you both out to lunch now."

~...~

Lucio finished putting material through the sewing machine, "And done!" Hikaru immediately rushed over to where Lucio was, "Perfect! I knew that my design would come out nicely!" Lucio smiled, "Well Hi-ka-ru~ what now?" Hikaru took a small breath, "Well, that was the last of our swimsuit designs. Now, since we don't have the funds to actually get a real show, I was thinking that we could use my friend's connections to have the swimsuits featured on a beach." Lucio jumped up and down, "That's wonderful! Who do you have in mind?" Hikaru smirked, "The one and only Kyoya of course. I've been back and forth in contacting him. The problem is that we only have one model: Mei. Which means that we're going to either need more models or a way to entertain the possible viewers in-between Mei getting changed." Lucio thought for a moment, "I do believe that if we have cross-dressers, it will give out the wrong message... but, how about we try to find someone foreign?" Hikaru thought for a moment, "Miranda?" Lucio nodded, "I'm sure that she would be interested."

Hikaru sent Miranda a text message asking her to be a model. Expecting a good response, he was surprised to get: _Sorry, but I'm too busy with work._ Hikaru sighed, "It's no good. If only there was someone else..." Lucio smirked, "How about that girl Haruhi that you're crushing on?" Hikaru shook his head, "There's no way that she would agree... and even if she did, Tono wouldn't go along with it." Lucio frowned, "Do you have any blackmail against your 'Tono'?" Hikaru smirked, "That... I might have something..."

~...~

Haruhi and Tamaki entered the flower shop. "Pretty!" Before Haruhi could take in everything, a woman approached the couple, "Hello there. May I ask about the occasion for the flowers you both are thinking of?" Tamaki immediately nodded, "Of course! We're searching for the perfect wedding flowers! We're getting married and can't wait! Oh~ what flowers should we get?" The woman smiled, "You seem very excited." Haruhi just politely nodded. Tamaki continued, "We're counting down days, minutes, seconds! It's the best thing ever!" The woman let out a small chuckle, "You both do know that flowers can show your compatibility, right?" Tamaki's eyes lit up, "They can?" The woman nodded, "Yes. Each and every flower has a meaning behind it. I've dealt with multiple couples in the past and I've found that the best way to find the perfect wedding flowers are to first have the bride and groom to pick out flowers that show their feelings towards each other." Haruhi let out a sigh, "What exactly do you mean by that?" The woman's eyes began to shine, "It's easy to pick out flowers once each part of the couple shows their true feelings. All you need to do is look around the flowers and pick the ones that reminds you of your significant other." Tamaki clenched his fists, "YES! Let's do this Haruhi! I'll pick the best flowers to describe you!" Haruhi slumped over a bit, "I guess that I have no choice... ok..."

Haruhi and Tamaki began to look at all the different flowers in the shop. Tamaki couldn't wait to have the absolute best bouquet to describe his beloved.

_An Hour Later..._

Tamaki and Haruhi finished picking their flowers and the woman smiled, "Ready to see what your significant other really thinks?" Tamaki nodded, "I can't wait! Haruhi! This all is done with love!"

Haruhi and Tamaki exchanged bouquets and the woman looked at the bouquet that Tamaki prepared for Haruhi. "Ooh, how nice this bouquet is!" Haruhi looked at the woman, "It's pretty... but... I don't get how this means anything." The woman grabbed a lilac, "Are you aware of this flower?" Haruhi sighed, "It's a lilac." The woman shook her head, "It's not just a lilac. Lilacs have quite the hidden meaning!" Tamaki's eyes began to shine, "Ooh! What does it mean?" The woman continued, "Lilacs in general are harbringers of spring. Yet, if you notice in this bouquet, there are both purple lilacs and white lilacs. When describing a person, purple lilacs represent the first emotions that one has in love; the white lilacs on the other hand represent youthful innocence. It's quite a gorgeous combination." Tamaki smiled smugly and wrapped an arm around Haruhi, "This is fun Haruhi!" The woman smiled towards Tamaki, "I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself. There's more to lilacs if you're interested in knowning." Tamaki nodded his head, "I want to know!" The woman nodded, "There's a whole story from Greek mythology about how lilacs came about. Do you know the proper name for a lilac?" Tamaki shook his head and Haruhi spoke up, "Isn't it Syringa?" The woman clasped her hands together, "Ah, I'm glad that you know of the name!" Haruhi shrugged, "I'm pretty well informed with Greek mythology after all the courses that I've taken..." The woman nodded, "Well, Syringa was a very gorgeous nymph. The god of forests and fields named Pan couldn't get enough of her beauty and wanted her as his own. Yet, Syringa was scared of Pan's affections and ran from him. In order to escape Pan completely, she turned herself into an aromatic bush, which bears the flowers that we know as lilacs." Haruhi nodded, "I do believe that I've heard that story somewhere."

"What a touching story!" Tamaki took a breath and continued, "I can't wait for you to hear the rest of the flowers that I picked out for you!" The woman then grabbed the next flower, Jasmine, "This white flower is Jasmine. The color white indicates truth and the flower itself represents grace and elegance. It's a very nice flower to be described as." Tamaki felt even more accomplished, "Now! Explain this one!" He immediately grabbed another flower from the bouquet. The woman nodded, "This flower is a Forget-Me-Not. It's meaning is 'remember me forever', it's quite a popular choice for wedding bouquets." Haruhi slightly smiled, "It's pretty and has a nice, simple meaning." Tamaki was practically in tears with happiness, "And the last flower?" The woman smiled, "The final flower, obviously is a sunflower. This flower is extremely precious. It's meaning is that of adoring one. Which means that this man adores you." Tamaki jumped up and down with joy, "All of them are perfect, aren't they Haruhi? I wanted to add the red rose in there, but it didn't fit with the color scheme here!" Haruhi lelt out a small laugh, "The sunflower doesn't really blend in to begin with, but I still like it. Thanks Tamaki."

The woman smiled, "Now, let's take a look at the flowers that you've picked out for him."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: ** This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I think that it's my favorite so far. (Probably because I'm a Victorian-Era-Enthusiast who's obsessed with the Language of Flowers)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Three.**

~...~

Haruhi answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Haruhi... it's Hikaru."

"Ah, Hikaru, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor..."

Haruhi glanced over at her crying fiance. "What favor?"

"Well... I was wondering if you could model for my new line of clothes. Mei-chan's also modeling, but we need at least one more model..."

Hikaru was expecting a nice, clean 'no', but was surprised to hear:

"Ha-ru-hi! Tell me that it's not trueeeeeeeeee! Certainly you picked up the wrong flowers... right?"

Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "Uhh... Haruhi? Are you still on the line?"

Haruhi frowned towards her loud fiance, "You know what Hikaru?"

"Hm?"

"As much as I hate modeling, I will do it."

Tamaki's brain completely shut off hearing those words from her mouth. He ran from across the store and started shaking her back and forth, "HARUHI! YOU CAN'T MODEL FOR SUCH A DEVIL! YOU SHOULD START STUDYING THE ART OF FLOWERS IF YOU HAVE TIME TO SPARE!"

Haruhi glared towards her fiance, "Tamaki. Get off of me."

Tamaki took a few steps back, "Haruhiiiii~ why are you giving me such a stare?"

Haruhi sighed and ignored Tamaki.

Hikaru took this time to speak up on the phone, "So... what's he over-reacting about now?"

Haruhi then began to tell Hikaru the source of her frustrations.

~...~

_Thirty Minutes Earlier..._

The shop clerk smiled and grabbed a flower from the bouquet that Haruhi made Tamaki. Tamaki was extremely excited about the choices that Haruhi had for him, "What is it? What is it?"

The shop clerk analyzed the flower, "Well, this one isn't really chosen often." Tamaki beamed with joy, "I knew it! She chose a rare flower to describe me as the rarest, most perfect being alive!" The shop clerk shook her head, "I'm afraid to tell you that's not it at all." Tamaki stared at the shop clerk, "Then what is it?" The shop clerk took a small breath, "This is an Azalea. It's not a bad flower, but generally not chosen for men." Tamaki was eager to find out the meaning behind the pretty flower, "What's it mean?" "Well, in general, it basically is saying _take care of yourself for me_. That interpretation is more Western though..." Tamaki wasn't thrilled with the meaning, but didn't think that it was awful, "So, what's the Eastern meaning?" The shop clerk took a small breath, "Are you sure that you want to know?" Tamaki shook his head, "Of course! It's the feelings of my beloved!" "Well... it's the Chinese symbol of... womanhood."

Haruhi began to laugh a bit and Tamaki was completely stunned, "Wo-man-hood?" The woman nodded, "That's right sir. Womanhood." Tamaki looked at Haruhi, "Certainly you didn't mean to pick this flower, right Haruhi?" Haruhi stared right into Tamaki's eyes, "I thought really hard about what flowers suited you. This one was my first choice." The shop clerk noticed that things weren't starting to look good, so she quickly grabbed the next flower, "Maybe the next one is better." Tamaki smiled, "Of course! Haruhi obviously didn't mean to pick that flower!" Haruhi frowned, "I wanted to pick that flower." Tamaki decided to ignore Haruhi's comment and believe that she didn't mean to pick the Azalea, "So what's the next flower?"

The shop clerk took a small breath, "Umm... are you sure that you want to know?" Tamaki nodded his head, "Certainly! Nothing could be worse than 'womanhood'!" The woman nodded, "Well, this one certainly isn't womanhood, but... some men might prefer the last flower to this one." Tamaki looked at the flower with worry, "But it's such a gorgeous purple flower! Certainly it represents my royal-appearance!" The woman took a deep breath, "This flower is called 'Bachelor Button'. It's meaning is _celibacy._"

Haruhi laughed out loud and Tamaki looked at her extremely hurt, "Haruhi! Are you saying that we won't... become one after marriage?" Haruhi seriously thought about it for a minute. When there was no response, Tamaki got extremely worried, "Haruhi! Tell me that you plan on becoming one with me!" After a few more seconds of silence, Haruhi frowned, "What do you think, idiot?" Tamaki shyed away from Haruhi, "She obviously didn't mean that. Now, the next flower?"

The woman grabbed the final flower from the bouquet, "This is a carnation; however... I don't think that I want to tell you this one." Tamaki cocked his head to the side, "Why not? It's very pretty! Certainly Haruhi thought of my gorgeous blond hair when she picked this one out!" The woman sighed, "Well, a yellow carnation actually means _rejection_ or _disdain._ In the Victorian Era, females often handed a man that they confessed and didn't want to be with this flower."

~...~

"And that's how he got to be like this..." Haruhi stated, extremely annoyed by Tamaki's constant wails, "I keep telling him that they're just flowers. It's not like they really mean anything, but he's convinced that the flowers have everything to do with life now..."

Hikaru smirked, "So Haruhi... out of pure curiosity... what flowers would you choose for me?"

Tamaki overheard that line from the phone and stared at Haruhi, "Haruhi! I demand you to pick Hikaru's flowers now!" Tamaki perked up, he figured that if Haruhi chose such awful flowers for him, that Hikaru's would be even worse. Tamaki grabbed the phone from Haruhi, "Hikaru! Haruhi will be creating your bouquet right now!"

~...~

After an hour of searching the shop, Haruhi completed the bouquet. For some reason, she had a difficult time choosing flowers that would suit Hikaru. So many of them seemed to be _him._ Haruhi let out a small smile, "I did my best."

The shop clerk smiled seeing the bouquet, "It's very lovely." Haruhi smiled, "I really thought hard about Hikaru for this. I feel like each flower suits him perfectly. This bouquet really describes a lot... I think."

Tamaki smirked seeing the flowers, "Ah Hikaru... you still there?"

"Yeah."

"These flowers are awful... beyond awful."

Hikaru chuckled, "We'll see Tono. Just remember that the flowers chosen are the true feelings of Haruhi."

Tamaki froze for a moment, "Uh... you..."

Hikaru smirked, "The Language of Flowers is pure and true Tono. Haruhi worked hard on making the bouquets today. She wouldn't do something so important half-assedly."

Tamaki shuddered, "Well, I'm sure that my flowers are a loooooooooot better than yours."

The shop clerk grabbed the first flower, "Ah, this is a nice one! A thornless rose! This flower is very commonly chosen, for it means _Love At First Sight._ And, the color, both red and white! Red and White roses together symbolize _Together_/_Unity._ This is very commonly chosen for weddings." Tamaki frowned and Haruhi tried to avoid any stare from her fiance.

Hikaru smiled, "Just remember Tono... these are Haruhi's true feelings."

Tamaki gulped, "She obviously didn't mean to pick that one. She meant the yellow flower!"

Haruhi sighed, "I picked each flower based off of what I thought... Anyways, they're just flowers Tamaki. There's no need to get jealous over something so trivial."

Hikaru smirked.

The shop clerk grabbed the next flower, "Anyways, let's continue. A primrose. A very nice choice!"

Tamaki stared at the flower, "What's this one mean?"

"Ah, a primorse means _I can't live without you_ and _early youth._ A very nice choice indeed."

Hikaru spoke up on the phone, "Well Tono... what are your thoughts on that one?"

Tamaki bit the bottom of his lip, "She only meant the 'early youth' part... the other one not so much."

Hikaru smirked, "Do you really believe that Tono? After hearing the first flower?"

Tamaki frowned, "What's the last flower?"

The woman grabbed the next flower, "Well... this one's interesting."

Tamaki smirked, "Obviously it's a bad one!"

The woman looked at Tamaki, "Well, I guess that it could be considered both good and bad."

Tamaki's eyebrow rose, "Do continue."

"This is called Monkshood. It means _beware/a deadly foe is near and chivalry._"

Haruhi let out a small chuckle, "Who knew that a flower could mean that." The woman looked at Haruhi, "Flowers express everything. Not many people believe in them though."

Haruhi smiled, "How very educational."

Tamaki stared at Haruhi, "Haruhi! You did say that flowers mean nothing, right?"

Haruhi shrugged, "Why does it matter to you so much?"

Tamaki walked into the corner with her phone, "Hikaru... why is Haruhi like this?"

Hikaru thought for a moment, "Haruhi is Haruhi. If you really love her Tono, you'll accept that fact."

Tamaki stood still, then immediately started screaming, "I DO LOVE HER! IF I DIDN'T I WOULDN'T BE MARRYING HER! I'M JUST WORRIED-"

Before he could finish his statement, Haruhi placed her hand on his arm, "TAMAKI."

Tamaki turned towards Haruhi, "...Yes?"

"What are you so worried about?"

Tamaki took a deep breath, "It's... It's just that... you and Hikaru... the flowers you chose for him... and... other things..."

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "What are you talking about? You were the one to insist me to pick out flowers for him."

Tamaki sighed, "I know but... you were suppose to pick the withered flowers for him."

Haruhi let out a deep breath, "If I did that, it wouldn't be the flowers that I think suit Hikaru. Tamaki, what's really bothering you? You've been acting a little strange lately."

Tamaki looked directly into Haruhi's eyes, "Haruhi. I want you to be honest with me..."

He ended the call with Hikaru and took a deep breath, "How do you feel about Hikaru?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: ** Once again I want to thank everyone for all the kind reviews. When starting this story, I really wasn't expecting a following. Finally, this is a chapter that has Mei/Kasanoda! It's been awhile since I've been able to work them in here. :3

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Four.**

~...~

_Tamaki looked directly into Haruhi's eyes, "Haruhi. I want you to be honest with me..."_

_He ended the call with Hikaru and took a deep breath, "How do you feel about Hikaru?"_

His face while asking that question was beyond serious. Haruhi's seen Tamaki with a serious expression before, but this one was different. In a way, it seemed as if he was trying to pry into the depths of her soul. The answer to his question should've been immediate; however, she ended up hesitating for a bit.

"Tamaki, Hikaru's a good friend of mine."

Tamaki frowned upon hearing her words, "Haruhi... those are the words that you always use to describe Hikaru. I want to hear everything. I want to know everything."

Haruhi turned away from him, "Why should I expand on this?"

Tamaki looked down towards the ground, "Please... I need to know."

Haruhi shook her head, "I don't understand why you have to know."

Tamaki walked over towards her and grabbed her shoulders, "Haruhi. Just stop being difficult and answer."

Haruhi shook her head and raised her voice, "No! You shouldn't be trying to force answers out of me! If you truly loved me, you would TRUST me!"

Tamaki let go of Haruhi and backed away. His face was dark, tears were beginning to form in his eyes. Those words of hers struck his heart hard. Without saying another word, Tamaki left the flower shop.

The store clerk looked at Haruhi, "Excuse me Miss... I don't understand why he's so upset. The flowers that you chose in the most recent bouquet are gorgeous."

Haruhi watched Tamaki's silhoutte leave until she could no longer see it. The store clerk's words broke her from her trance. She turned towards the woman, "Ah, don't worry about him. Uhh, we'll probably come another day. Sorry to waste your time."

Haruhi walked out of the shop. She could see Tamaki walking aimlessly down the sidewalk. Rather than following him, she grabbed her cell and called Hikaru.

"Hello?" Hikaru answered, yet no one responded, "Haruhi? Are you alright?"

There still was silence, until Hikaru could finally make out some sobs from the other end, "Haruhi! What's wrong? Where are you?"

Haruhi finally spoke up in-between sobs, "The Flower Shop."

"Stay there! I'll come pick you up!"

Haruhi nodded and hung up the phone. She wasn't exactly sure why she called Hikaru.

~...~

Lucio finished making some touch ups on a bathing suit that Mei was trying on, "And you look gorgeous now Sweetheart!" Mei smiled, "Thanks." She turned her attention to Hikaru, who just hung up his phone. Hikaru took his hand and ran it through his hair as he let out a deep breath. Lucio and Mei both looked at their 'boss'.

Lucio then spoke up, "What's wrong Hikaru?" Hikaru let out another breath, "It's Haruhi. She's crying... I don't know how to deal with the girl that I like crying." Lucio bit the bottom of his lips, since he didn't know what to say. Mei then walked over towards Hikaru, "If you truly like her, you'll do whatever you can to comfort her!" Hikaru looked up at her, "I was planning on going to see Haruhi now... I just... don't know how to-" Before Hikaru could say another word, Mei crossed her arms while frowning, "Just be there for her! Everything else will come naturally!" Lucio nodded, "What Mei-chan said! She knows these things!" Hikaru let out a small laugh, "Alright, alright. I got it. So, I'll see you both tomorrow then?" Lucio and Mei both nodded. Hikaru then grabbed his wallet and ran outside, on his way to see Haruhi.

~...~

Lucio watched as Mei began to text on her phone, "So... are you talking to your precious Kasanoda-kun?" Mei's face turned bright red, "W-What?" Lucio smirked, "Have a date tonight?" Mei nodded shyly. "Well Girl~ have fun! The night's still young! I think that I'll be heading to the club tonight! See you tomorrow!" Mei nodded, "See ya."

~...~

Kasanoda met Mei at a nearby coffee shop. As Mei walked into the shop, Kasanoda quickly walked over to her, "Hey." He observed her appearance and while blushing smiled, "You look gorgeous." Mei's face matched the color of his hair and she shyly smiled, "Thank you. You look great too." Kasanoda gently grabbed her hand and turned towards the front of the shop, "We... should probably order something." Mei glanced at her hand and smiled to herself. Even though the two of them had kissed, public affection really wasn't something that they felt really comfortable with. Mei nodded her head, "A hot chocolate sounds really good." Kasanoda nodded and approached the shop clerk, still keeping their hands interlocked, "I would like two hot chocolates please."

Once they had gotten their drinks, they both sat down at a small table. Kasanoda looked right into Mei's eyes, admiring the color for a bit until he finally decided to speak, "How's the modeling going?" Mei could feel her heart flutter a bit with his gaze, "It's.. going very well... I would... like it if you can watch me model them at the show." Kasanoda grabbed both of her hands into his, "I wouldn't miss it."

Mei smiled. Kasanoda never knew it, but ever since she started liking him, she would do anything to catch his eyes. What she didn't notice was the fact that he also did whatever he could to catch her eyes.

Once they finished the hot chocolate, Kasanoda grabbed her hand again and began to walk Mei back home. Once they made it to the home, Kasanoda looked at her, "Mei... I'll... I'll see you soon." Mei let out a small giggle. She loved how nervous he got sometimes, "Kasanoda. I love you." She kissed his forehead. Kasanoda wrapped his arms around her body, "I love you too." Mei hugged him back and they both parted after sharing a kiss.

"Good night Mei."

"Good night Kasanoda." Mei closed the door behind her and smiled.

~...~

Hikaru finally made his way to where Haruhi was. Before approaching her, he watched her figure from a distance. He could tell just from the way she was standing that something was bothering her. He made sure to take a deep breath. _You can do this._

He tried his best to gain some courage to approach her. Once prepared, he walked over towards her, waving his right hand in the air, he plastered a smile on his face, "Hey Haruhi!"

Haruhi, who currently was staring at the ground, managed to look up. She saw Hikaru approaching her and for some unknown reason, she found herself beginning to slightly smile.

Still unaware of what to do or say, Hikaru finally stopped right in front of her, "Haruhi... are you alright?"

Haruhi shook her head and looked back down at the ground. Hikaru watched her reaction. He's never seen Haruhi like this before. Instead of thinking about what to say, he went along with what his body was telling him: hug her.

Hikaru took a step forward and with both arms, brought Haruhi into a hug, her face burrowed in his chest. His heart was beating like crazy and his face began to turn red. "Haruhi... you don't have to tell me what's wrong but... just know that... I'm here... for you..."

Hikaru could tell that those simple, stuttered words of his went through to her. He could tell, because he could feel her hands grip his t-shirt. Hikaru looked up towards the sky, keeping a firm hold onto Haruhi. He felt so helpless. The woman that he was in love with was so close and all he could do to help her suffering was to just hold onto her and be there.

A late afternoon summer rain began to fall from the skies, enveloping Hikaru and Haruhi. Hikaru looked down at the top of Haruhi's head, "It's raining... we should probably go somewhere."

Haruhi shook her head and took a step back away from Hikaru. With a tear-stained face, she finally looked him in the eyes, "Thanks Hikaru." Hikaru nodded, "A-anything for you... Haruhi." A small smile crept onto her face, "Don't you have to work tonight?" Hikaru shook his head, "I'm off tonight, so if you want to talk or something..." Haruhi nodded, "Hikaru, follow me."

Hikaru wasn't sure what Haruhi had in mind, but he simply nodded his head and began to follow Haruhi. Walking through the streets of Japan without an umbrella, soaked to the bone.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Five.**

~...~

Hikaru followed Haruhi onto the train...

Into a town...

Then outside of a town...

Until she stopped infront of a small creek.

"This is it."

Hikaru stood a few steps behind her, "A creek?"

Haruhi turned her gaze towards Hikaru and nodded, "Silly, isn't it?"

Hikaru glanced at the creek, it was beginning to overflow from all of the rain coming down, "It's not... I just... wasn't expecting to come here."

Haruhi laughed, "Especially in the rain, right? I know that it's not the best idea to come to a creek when it's downpouring like this, but... since it's summer, this is the best spot."

Hikaru looked back at Haruhi, "What do you mean?"

"Well, most times, during the summer, a gorgeous site near this creek can be seen... but it only happens when the sun is setting during a summer rain."

Hikaru focused his attention towards the scenery in front of him. The sun was setting and the rain was still downpouring. He wasn't exactly sure what Haruhi was getting at.

She then used her forefinger and pointed to an area in the sky, "Do you see it Hikaru?"

Hikaru's eyes widened as he noticed a small, yet beautiful rainbow above the creek in the sky, "It's... amazing."

Haruhi smiled, still keeping her attention on the rainbow in the sky, "Ever since I was little... if I ever dealt with anything troubling... I would immediately feel better seeing this site. It's beautiful, right?"

Hikaru smiled and took a few steps forward, standing right next to Haruhi. His attention still was focused on the rainbow, "Yeah... no..."

Haruhi turned her head towards Hikaru, "Yeah? No? ... Which one is it?"

Hikaru still was completely focused on the site. For whatever reason, it relaxed him, "Well, the rainbow is beautiful but... I think... I think that Haruhi's more so..."

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "I'm more so what?" She wasn't exactly sure what Hikaru was getting at.

Hikaru's face turned red and he shook his head, "It's... nothing Haruhi. Sorry, I was... just speaking randomly..."

Haruhi let out a small laugh.

Hikaru turned towards her, "Haruhi... earlier... you were crying... do you want to talk about it?"

Haruhi sat down in the grass, not minding that mud might dirty her outfit, "You know what Hikaru?"

Hikaru followed her lead and sat down next to her, looking up at the sky in the process. The rainbow was beginnig to fade, but the rain began to get heavier, "What's that Haruhi?"

Haruhi took a deep breath, "I wonder if I'm making the right decisions."

~...~

Yuzuha was busy with paperwork when Kaoru entered her office. She glanced up, "Everything's prepared for the fashion show. Your designs came out nicely." Kaoru nodded, "Thanks mother." He sat down across from her, "So Mom... I'm just curious but... I haven't seen Miranda around lately... What has she been up to?" Yuzuha didn't even bother to look up from her paperwork and spoke up, "Miranda has been extremely busy running errands for me. She has one of the most important tasks in this company right now."

Kaoru wasn't really sure what his mother was going on about, but could tell that if he pressed the matter further that he would probably irritate her. So, he stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

When the next day arrived, Miranda walked into Yuzuha's office, "Things are progressing well Chairwoman." Yuzuha smirked, "Excellent. I expect you to arrive over at the Seul's Fashion Show for their Dandelion Line. Make sure that everything goes according to plan. Otherwise, I will dismiss you." Miranda nodded her head, "Of course Chairwoman." She then bowed and exited, making her way through the hallways of the building. Once she opened the door to leave the building, Kaoru approached her, "Miranda! I haven't seen or heard from you since the last fashion show. What have you been up to?"

Miranda refused to look into Kaoru's eyes, "It's business stuff..." Kaoru frowned, "What kind of business does my mother have you doing?" Miranda looked towards the ground, "I'm sorry Kaoru... I can't release that information." She began to walk away. Kaoru immediately grabbed her arm and turned her towards him, "Miranda. Where are you going?" Miranda looked up into his eyes, a troubled expression on her face, "Kaoru, let me go... I have a very important task to accomplish today."

Kaoru let out a small breath, "Fine..." He let go of Miranda's arm. She then immediately left.

~...~

The Hitacchin's Summer Fashion Show ended and both Yuzuha and Kaoru were surrounded by press with multiple questions. Yuzuha answered the majority of the questions, yet a few, were politely answered by Kaoru. The show itself was a huge success, which featured the promised designs by Kaoru himself. One woman who worked for the newspaper asked if she could interview Kaoru. Yuzuha agreed with the offer and scheduled an appointment for her to interview him.

After the press left, Yuzuha made sure to tell Kaoru that the interview is extremely important because it will be his first featured article about his rising talent. So, she coached him on answers to questions that would not only leave an impression, but also draw in new customers.

After three hours, the newspaper lady came to interview Kaoru.

~...~

It was fairly late when Miranda called her boss. Yuzuha smirked as she picked up her phone, "Hello?" Miranda's voice was raspy, "Mission accomplished Chairwoman." Yuzuha looked at her reflection in a mirror and smiled, "Excellent. Please take a week off. Consider if paid vacation... I'm sure that you'll want to lay low for a bit." She then hung up the phone.

Kaoru watched his mother on the phone. Once the call was over he quickly stared at her, "What's going on?" Yuzuha smiled towards her son, "You were right... Miranda was a great addition to the team." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. I'm sure that every newspaper in Japan will have this story."

Kaoru clenched his fists together and glared towards his mother, "Good night Mother." He then quickly left the workplace and made his way home. Once home, he turned on the tv and started to flip channels. Once he made it to the local news station, he noticed quite an interesting story.

His eyes widened as he saw a photo of Miranda with the Prime Minister's son. Not really wanting to know the details, he couldn't help but wonder what was being said. His face was glued to the screen, "This... can't be... Miranda's not like that..."

~...~

Hikaru went to work that night and smiled seeing Ranka in the dressing room. Ranka immediately rushed over to Hikaru and hugged him, "Oh! Hikaru! It's everywhere!"

Hikaru looked up at Ranka confused, "What's everywhere?"

"Kaoru and Miranda!"

Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "Kaoru and Miranda? What do you mean?"

Ranka sat down next to Hikaru and began to touch up his make up, "Well, firstly, your mother's company had their big Summer Fashion Show today! It was a huge hit! Not only that though~ Kaoru's designs have been the talk of everyone!"

Hikaru's eyes widened, "Kaoru's designs? Why hadn't he said anything to me about designing?"

Ranka continued, "Well Hikaru, didn't you wage war against him in fashion? It seems that you're behind... but, I have faith in you!"

Hikaru let out a small laugh, "So what are his designs like?"

Ranka glanced over Misuzu, "Bring out the laptop please!" Misuzu nodded and quickly took out his laptop with an online article that had photos of Kaoru's designs. "Here!"

Hikaru looked at the laptop and his eyes widened, "Kaoru designed those? Wow! I'm impressed! He's never been that good at designing!"

Ranka nodded, "I still prefer your designs though! When's your beach fashion show?"

Hikaru smiled, "I was hoping to get it together in three days."

Ranka smiled, "I can't wait!"

Hikaru then looked straight at Ranka, "What about Miranda? Why's she being spoken about?"

Ranka took a deep breath, "Well, for reasons unknown, it seems that she suddenly gained interest in the Prime Minister's son."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Really? I guess that she's finally given up on Kaoru."

Ranka continued, "Well, apparently, they both were seen playing around with each other at the back of the Seul's Dandelion Line Fashion Show."

Hikaru's eyes widened, "Miranda? Play around? That's... completely out of character for her!"

Misuzu then spoke up, "Hikaru-kun... perhaps her reasoning was soley to do this in favor of Kaoru."

Hikaru's face turned into one of confusion, "What do you mean?"

Ranka then spoke up, "Well, it was known to the public that the Prime Minister's son was to mary Seul Jan Di... such a scandal not only ruins the reputation of the Prime Minister, but it also reflects badly on the Seul family."

Hikaru held his head in his hands, "I don't get it."

Misuzu spoke up, "The Seul company has been the largest competitor to your Mother's business for years... With a scandal like this happening during an important fashion show for the Seul's is definitely going to look bad; yet, the Hitacchin's Fashion Show didn't have any problems, meaning that all the feedback in the news is glorifying the company. Basically, the press isn't covering the Dandelion Line; instead, the scandal is the focus. Kaoru's popularity is rising with positive feedback."

Hikaru nodded his head, "I get it now."

Ranka smiled, "Well, good for your brother... but! You'll be the one stealing the spotlight soon enough Hikaru!"

Hikaru smirked, "I hope so."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Six.**

~...~

It had been days since Haruhi talked to Tamaki. She was trying to figure out many things... mainly, she was confused. She felt as if everything suddenly was moving too fast and that Tamaki is over-reacting over small matters. After taking a few deep breaths, she picked up her cellphone and dialed Tamaki's number. It didn't take long til he finally answered."

"Haruhi!"

Haruhi took a deep breath, "Hey..."

"What's wrong?"

Haruhi shook her head, "It's nothing... I just... tomorrow at noon... could you come to the beach?"

Tamaki smiled on his end, "Of course! What kind of swimsuit would you like me to wear?"

Haruhi let out a small breath, "I don't care which one... I. I know that you're not going to be happy with me, but I'll be in Hikaru's fashion show."

Tamaki frowned, "Why did you agree to that?"

"Tamaki... Hikaru's a great friend... I like to help my friends in need."

Tamaki started to run his left hand through his hair, "So why do you want me to come to the beach? It seems that you won't have any time to associate with me..."

Haruhi felt her heart tug at her, "Tamaki... please come to the beach. I want to see you after the show."

Tamaki perked up a bit, "Really? You want to have some alone time with your awesome fiance?"

Haruhi sighed, "Yeah."

Tamaki smiled proudly, "Then, I will most definitely come Haruhi!"

~...~

Hikaru sadly smiled as he took a final pearl bead and attached it to his current task. Once the bead was on, he took a few steps away from the dressform. He eyed his piece of art up and down. He grabbed his camera and snapped a few pictures from each side, then placed the camera on the table. Running his hands through his hair, he then decided to take a shower then go to bed. Rather than calling Haruhi at this late hour, he figured that he would show her when she meets him in the morning.

~...~

Kaoru picked up the newspaper from his nightstand. For the past few days, he had collected each newspaper and magazine that featured any sort of fashion information. He couldn't help but frown while looking over the front page. The headline read "_Prime Minister's Son Dumps Upcoming Fashion Desiging Superstar For American Whore!_" He grabbed his mug of coffee, then threw it across the room, leaving a complete mess. Since he was currently living at his parents' house, a maid immediately entered the room and began to clean the mess. Rather than ignoring the maid doing her job, Kaoru spoke up, "Don't clean that!" The maid looked at him, "But it's my job Sir..." Kaoru eyed the maid and then gave her a nasty glare, "I told you not to clean it. Get out of my room!" The maid immediately bowed and excused herself from the room.

Kaoru then looked back down at the newspaper. He began to read the article for the tenth time. After that specific article, he began to look through the different magazines, eyeing each and every photo that was captured. Kaoru couldn't stand the fact that Miranda would sell herself so cheaply. He knew that it was all his mother's plan, but he never imagined that Miranda would do such a thing. He wanted answers. No, he needed answers, yet whenever he tried to contact Miranda, she wouldn't respond. He had no clue where she was. And hell if he was going to try and ask his mother if she knew.

~...~

The sun was setting as Mei and Kasanoda were walking in a small park. They both were eating some icecream while talking about minor things going on in life. Regardless of their schedules, they both made sure to spend as much time as possible together. Just being with each other was relaxing. The two began to head out of the park until they heard a sniffling noise. Both turning around, they noticed the silhoutte of a young woman sobbing while sitting on the ground next to a bench. It wasn't until the woman moved her head a bit that they recognized her.

Slowly approaching her, Mei placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Miranda-chan?"

Miranda glanced up to see Mei. She immediately wiped tears from her eyes, "Mei-chan... Kasanoda-san... hi." Mei gave her a small smile, "What's wrong? Why are you crying in this park?"

Miranda let out a deep breath, "It's complicated."

Mei gave Kasanoda a look. He nodded his head towards her, "I'll see you at the fashion show tomorrow then." Mei smiled, "See you tomorrow!" Kasanoda sighed as he left his girlfriend. He didn't want to leave, but that one look told him all. That whatever's going on is something that needs to undergo the strange thing called _girl talk._

Once Kasanoda was away, Mei helped Miranda to her feet and grabbed her hand, "Let's go to my place." Miranda just politely nodded.

Once inside Mei's apartment, Mei placed a cup of tea in front of Miranda, "So, what's going on?" Miranda placed her head in her hands, "I'm... I'm stupid." Mei shook her head and sat down next to her, "That's not true Miranda! Why do you think that you're stupid?" Mei tried to keep herself as composed as possible, "I wanted to help Kaoru." Mei took a sip of tea, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well... to be honest, I was allowed to work with the Hitacchins... just... as a secretary of sorts."

Mei nodded while Miranda was speaking.

"Anyways, I was extremely happy to be able to work in Kaoru's family's business... but then... I began to get distant from Kaoru. His mother told me that if I did what she told me to, that it would definitely help Kaoru's future. I listened to her and... I... I've done so many awful things..." Miranda began to cry.

Mei began to rub Miranda's back, "It's ok. I doubt that Kaoru would be upset at you."

Miranda shook her head, "Upset I can deal with... but... I know that he's disappointed. By now... he has to know the news."

Mei let out a deep breath, "Maybe if you talk to him... it'll clear things up."

Miranda stared at her untouched tea, "If only I could bring myself to talk to him... but... there's no point anymore... is there?"

Mei took another sip of tea, "Why is that? Don't you love him?"

Miranda nodded, "It's because I love him that I need to stay away from him. I just... if I... no... I really should just go back to America."

Mei shook her head, "That's crazy! Girl! You've been after Kaoru for years! And now you're just going to up and give up on him? That's stupid! You should at least take a chance!"

Miranda shook her head, "He wouldn't want someone who's been with someone else..."

Mei frowned, "In this time and age... who hasn't been with someone else?"

Miranda let out a small laugh, "I guess you're right but... I'm afraid of how he'll treat me... of how he'll react towards me..."

Mei sighed, "I understand. Just... do what you feel is right."

Miranda nodded, "Thanks."

~...~

Haruhi arrived at Hikaru's small apartment and knocked on the door. Hikaru rushed to the door and opened it, "Ah, Haruhi! Come in!" Haruhi took a step into the apartment and then handed him a small vase, "I know that this isn't much but... I brought a housewarming gift." Hikaru let out a small laugh, "Thanks Haruhi." He took the vase and delicately placed it on a table, "Would you like some tea?" Haruhi shook her head, "No thank you." Hikaru nodded, "Alright... then..." He grabbed her hand and started to lead her to his bedroom. Once he opened the door to his room, Haruhi dropped everything and stood still, stunned. Hikaru smiled seeing her reaction, "What do you think?"

Haruhi stared at the completed wedding dress. She never imagined that Hikaru would have completed it so soon. With both hands over her mouth, she spoke up, "It's gorgeous Hikaru... a lot better than I ever dreamed." Hikaru smiled, "I'm glad that you like it... want to try it on?" Haruhi nodded her head in agreement.

~...~

A few minutes later, Haruhi stepped out to where Hikaru was sitting. She smiled radiantly towards him, "It's perfect Hikaru." Hikaru stood up as she entered the room. He couldn't even begin to descibe how incredibly gorgeous she looked in that dress. It was white, pure white, with a sweetheart neckline. At the back of the dress was a medium-length white bow. Sewn on the dress were several pearl beads. The dress reached the floor with a rather large train. Hikaru couldn't help but approach Haruhi while holding out his hand, "May I have this dance?"

Haruhi let out a small laugh, "Sure." Hikaru then lead Haruhi into a simple waltz. Soft, classical music from a cd filling the room. Hikaru was silent, yet his eyes were completely entranced by Haruhi's. The dance wasn't too long, yet it wasn't short either. Haruhi was quiet as well. Her eyes locked onto Hikaru's. With each turn, she noticed her heatbeat pick up a bit and her face flushed.

Once the song ended, Hikaru stopped moving, but still held Haruhi in dance position. He smiled towards her, "Haruhi... do you remember the last time we danced?" Haruhi shook her head, "It's been years ago... I can't remember all the activities from Ouran." Hikaru laughed aloud, "I guess that you're right."

At that point in time, Lucio and Mei arrived at Hikaru's apartment, making Hikaru let go of Haruhi all-together.

Hikaru sat down in a corner of the room as Lucio briefed Haruhi and Mei about how the fashion show was going to work. Hikaru usually would be the one telling them everything, but he told Lucio yesterday that it was alright for him to take that over.

Hikaru looked into a cup of tea that he had, a small, some-what sad smile tracing his face. His mind completely wandering. The fact that Haruhi didn't remember the last time they danced bugged him. It bugged him, because it was a scene that was placed deep into his heart. He knew all too well how much time had passed since he last had a pleasant hold of her hand. His gaze moved from the tea cup to Haruhi's back.

He was surprised that she still was wearing that wedding dress, rather than taking it off. Hikaru both loved and hated that wedding dress. He loved how it looked on her, he loved the design. The problem with the dress was the occation for it, as well as reminding him that no matter how much he loves her, she's not his. He walked into the bathroom and locked the door. He splashed some water onto his face and he looked at himself in the mirror, "Maybe it's time that I should get over my weakness... Maybe... it's about time for me to try and protect someone else."


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: **Hikaru's fashion show! Next chapter will focus on Tanabata, or the Star Festival.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Seven.**

~...~

Tamaki arrived at the beach thirty minutes before noon. He was wearing a bright red swimsuit and held a fancy fruit coctail in his left hand. His sunglasses kept the sun from his eyes. He stood next to his best friend Kyoya. Kyoya was wearing a rather expensive blue swimsuit with a button-down white shirt. He pushed his glasses closer to his eyes, "Tamaki. May I inquire as to why Haruhi decided to model for Hikaru?" Tamaki took a sip of his coctail, then responded, "Haruhi's kind-hearted. She wants to help out Hikaru, since he's in need of help. If he had plenty of models, she would never agree." Kyoya looked no-where in specific, "Even if he was in need of help... I doubt that she would ever agree to model swimsuits in public. Doesn't it concern you?" Tamaki looked at his sand-covered feet, "It would be a lie if I told you that I wasn't concerned. This past month... Haruhi's been really distant. I don't know what's going on..." Kyoya didn't say a word after that.

Hunny and Mori both arrived at the beach. "Tama-chan! Kyo-chan! Hey!" Hunny yelled out as he rushed over to them. Kyoya smiled, "Hunny-sempai, Mori-sempai, it's nice to see you both." Hunny smiled, "Yup! Same here!" Mori nodded in agreement. Tamaki looked at the two, "Did Haruhi tell you about the fashion show?" Hunny shook his head, "Haru-chan didn't say anything but... Kasanoda-chan did!" Tamaki was surprised, "Kasanoda did?" Hunny and Mori both nodded in agreement. Kyoya pushed his glasses again, "I didn't realize that you two were in contact with him." Hunny smiled, "Kasanoda-chan works nearby, so we run into him a lot! We've been going out to karaoke and meals lately!" Tamaki couldn't imagine Kasanoda singing karaoke, so he let out a few giggles. Hunny continued, "Anyways, we definitely had to support Hika-chan! And Haru-chan! And Mei-chan!"

Within no time, Lucio rushed out and began to draw as much of a crowd as possible. Once a crowd gathered, Mei stepped into the open wearing a light blue tankini with silver designs. She gave off a few poses and strutted out of sight. Next, Haruhi stepped out wearing a simple, yet cute pink one-piece. She didn't strut as nicely as Mei, but she was able to model well enough to show off the swimsuit. Mei and Haruhi continuously featured Hikaru's swimsuits, one after the other. Then, afterwards, they modeled a few of his sundresses.

The crowd continuously grew and when the outfits were finished being displayed, Hikaru stepped out into the open and before he could speak, the crowd began to comment on how he was "the uprising Hitacchin Kaoru". Hikaru frowned with the mention of his brother's name, "That's incorrect. If you take notice, my hair isn't the same as Kaoru's. My name is Hikaru... and the only connection that I have to the Hitacchin's is my last name."

Hikaru gave off a small, yet simple speech. He also gave out information of ways that the customers' can order from him. Overall, he felt that the small fashion show was a success. Especially since many teenagers recorded his speech and sold it to local news stations. Once the crowd died down, Lucio placed an arm around Hikaru, "Wonderfully done. And~ expect yourself to start covering the papers!" Hikaru smirked and playfully punched Lucio in the arm, "I doubt it. If I'm lucky, my name will even get out there." Lucio smiled, "At least there's plenty of time to make an intense battle plan to get out there." Hikaru nodded, "I've already started planning." Lucio looked directly at Hikaru, "Seriously! What are you planning?" Hikaru smirked, "There's an extremely famous competition for designers coming up. All I have to do is enter a design and hope to make it out on top." Lucio jumped up and down, "That's wonderful news!" Hikaru nodded, "No matter what, I will make the top design and start my own line of clothing."

~...~

Haruhi walked over to Tamaki, "Tamaki..." She glanced to see Kyoya, Mori, and Hunny there. "Ah, hey everyone." The three exchanged greetings. Tamaki smiled, "Haruhi! You were stunning out there! Most definitely the BEST model that I've ever seen!" Haruhi shook her head, "I wasn't that good... anyways, can we go talk over there?" She pointed to an area of the beach that was rather deserted. Tamaki grabbed her hand and smiled, "Of course."

The two walked over there, then sat down in the sand. Tamaki held her hand in his as he smiled towards her, "So, are we going to be talking about the wedding preparations?" Haruhi looked down at her feet in the sand, "Tamaki... I... I'm sorry." Tamaki cocked his head to the side, "About what?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I love you Tamaki." "And I love you, but why are you apologizing?" She opened her eyes and looked directly into his eyes, "I love you but... it's not romantic love. At one point it was but... I... I can't marry you." Tamaki's eyes widened, then immediately started to get small. The grip on her hand loosened and his voice was barely audible, "Are... Are you in love with Hikaru?" Haruhi's eyes widened with surprise, "Eh?" Tamaki raised his voice a little bit louder, still barely audible, "Do you love Hikaru?" Haruhi's heart was beating like crazy. Her face began to turn red and she shook her head, "I... I don't know. I've always... I've always thought of Hikaru as... just a friend..." Tamaki took a deep breath, doing everything that he could to not cry. He turned towards Haruhi and forced a smile, "Haruhi. Thanks for telling me. I wish you all the happiness in the world! Don't be afraid to come to me if you need anything!" He stood up and quickly began to walk away from her. Haruhi stood up and yelled out, "Tamaki!" He stood still, but didn't move. She ran over to him, "Tamaki..." He turned towards her, "What is it?" She took the ring from her left finger and placed it in his hand, "It wouldn't be fair for me to hold onto this." Tamaki stared at the engagement ring in his hand and sighed. He then began to walk away. Haruhi had no clue what his expression was at that moment, because he made sure to hide it. The second that he could leave the beach, he was gone. As she watched him vacate the beach, she dropped to her knees and began to cry. She hated the break-up, but she knew that it wouldn't be fair to marry him with extremely mixed emotions. Before anyone could tell what was going on, she rushed off of the beach and began to head home.

~...~

Hikaru stepped into his apartment and looked at the dressform holding Haruhi's wedding dress. He sadly stared at it, recalling several important memories of his. A few tears began to escape his eyes, "Haruhi... why is it that after all of these years... my love for you is unchanged? Why is it that I can't get you out of my mind?"

~...~

Time began to pass. Hikaru hadn't heard a thing from Haruhi, nor had Tamaki. Both Haruhi and Tamaki didn't even tell anyone about their break-up. Both of them were rather depressed and therefore couldn't even bring it up.

Before anyone could realize it, it was July 6th. Kaoru picked up his cellphone and called Miranda. As predicted, she didn't pick up. Instead of hanging up, he decided to leave a message, "Miranda. Tomorrow is Tanabata... I know that you probably know nothing about the holiday but... I want you to meet me. I have something to say and I must say it in person. So, tomorrow at seven... I'll wait for you infront of the large oak tree near the lake. I will wait until you arrive."

~...~

Haruhi sat on the small couch in the living room in her father's apartment. She stared at the tv that wasn't even turned on. Once Ranka arrived, he rushed over to her, "Oh Haruhi! I'm soooo excited! Tomorrow is Tanabata! We should celebrate together!" Haruhi nodded, "Sounds good." Ranka eyed her. He was used to her unenthusiastic response, but something about her seemed off. He immediately sat down next to her and smiled, "Haruhi, Papa's here to listen to you! If there's anything that you-" Before he could say anything else, Haruhi hugged him, "Dad..." Ranka wrapped an arm around his daughter and with his right hand, began to run his hand through her hair, "There, there. Daddy's here." Haruhi didn't speak another word, she continued to sob into her father's chest until she fell asleep. Ranka knew that something was wrong, but he knew that when the timing was right, she would tell him.

~...~

Mei grunted as she got off her cellphone. She turned towards Kasanoda, who was sitting next to her watching a movie. Kasanoda turned his attention from the movie towards her, "What's wrong?" Mei let out a small breath, "Dad... he insists on spending Tanabata with us tomorrow." Kasanoda laughed, "Come on, it can't be that bad." Mei sighed, "It's going to be awful! He's going to want to know everything and anything about our relationship! Be prepared for a million questions tomorrow!" Kasanoda smiled and pushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear, "We'll worry about tomorrow when it's tomorrow. For now, let's enjoy this time together." Mei smiled warmly towards him, "You know what?" "What?" "You always know the right things to say. That's why I love you." Kasanoda blushed a deep red color. Mei then pulled him towards her and planted a kiss on his lips. Kasanoda reciprocated the kiss, deepening it a bit. Once they broke the kiss, they both went back to watching the movie. Both of them had a huge grin on their faces.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: **This chapter focuses on Tanabata. The technical translation is "evening of the seventh". It's a Japanese Star Festival, which originated from the Chinese Qixi Festival. The celebration of the festivities begin on July 7th and is held at various days between July and August. If you're unaware, yukata is a casual summer kimono generally made of cotton. A hakama is a traditional piece of clothing that used to be worn only by men. Now-a-days, hakama are worn by both sexes. Hakama are tied at the waist and tend to fall near the ankles. Since it's a very formal outfit, it's generally not seen outside of a formal event. Shitagi, in the case of this story, is similar to a short kimono with a button at the neck and an obi at the waist. BTW, this chapter is a bit longer than most chapters. Hope that you all enjoy. :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Eight.**

~...~

Miranda pushed the one button on her cellphone to repeat the voicemail for the tenth time that morning: _"Miranda. Tomorrow is Tanabata... I know that you probably know nothing about the holiday but... I want you to meet me. I have something to say and I must say it in person. So, tomorrow at seven... I'll wait for you infront of the large oak tree near the lake. I will wait until you arrive." _She took a look at the clock, it was early morning. Being a foreigner in Japan, she wasn't too aware of the local customs. Tanabata was a word unknown to her. Yet, something told her that it was a very important occation for the Japanese. She wasn't really sure if she should show up later on or not. Yet, after carefully thinking about the situation, mainly staring at her half-eaten breakfast, she knew that if she didn't meet Kaoru, she wouldn't be able to move on in life. She knew what to expect: Kaoru would confront her about the prime minister's son and working for his mother. She knew all this, and yet, she didn't want to hear any of it. Figuring that it might be a good idea, she grabbed her laptop and began to search 'Tanabata'. She didn't need to know the reasonings behind the celebration, but she wanted to at least know if it's some sort of formal event. Upon researching, she learned about some of the customs.

~...~

Haruhi awoke late morning, wrapped in her father's arms on the couch in the living room. She slowly sat up and looked at her father. He was awake, staring at the wall. She slightly smiled, "Dad, should we prepare the Wish Tree?" Ranka smiled widely, "Oh Haruhi! This is going to be the best Tanabata ever!" Haruhi nodded, "I hope so." Ranka walked over to a corner in the room and picked up a small bamboo tree and placed it on the small table in the room. He then grabbed tanzaku (small pieces of paper). He handed a tanzaku to Haruhi, along with a permanent marker. Haruhi grabbed the items and stared blankly at her piece of paper. A wish, any wish... she thought for a while, trying to figure out what wish to write down; however, nothing was coming to mind. Ranka finished writing his wish and hung it up on the Wish Tree. Smiling, he looked at Haruhi, "Haruhi, don't stress yourself over this." Haruhi nodded, "Yeah... I'll write my wish a little bit later... I don't really know what to wish for right now." Ranka placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on Haruhi, let's eat some brunch. Then, we can get in our fancy yukatas and strut around the streets to celebrate. Haruhi nodded, "Sounds great." Since Ranka could sense that a lot was on Haruhi's mind, he decided to cook them a delicious brunch. While cooking, he casually began to talk, "You know Haruhi... I understand if you don't want to hang with Daddy the whole time... you're free to invite anyone you want to go with us." Haruhi nodded, "Thanks Dad... I guess that I'll invite-" She immediately thought of Mei, but then decided against inviting Mei due to the fact that Mei is dating Kasanoda. She thought that they were a lovely couple, but if she began to hang with them, certainly, they would wonder why she's not with Tamaki, which then would spawn into several questions and her being required to tell them what happened. She wanted to try her best to enjoy the holiday. She wanted to be able to hang out with someone else. Someone who wouldn't bring up heavy topics. After thinking for awhile, she picked up her cellphone and began to dial a number.

~...~

Misuzu arrived at Mei's apartment and helped her get ready for the festivities that night. After helping Mei a bit, he smiled, "Once your boyfriend gets here, we should drop by Ranka's place! They have a wishing tree there and it would be great to write our wishes!" Mei let out a small laugh, "You forgot to buy a bamboo tree again?" Misuzu had a small pink blush across his face; he placed his right hand behind his head and began to sweat a bit, "Yeah... sorry about that." At that point in time, Kasanoda knocked on the door and Mei was about to get it when Misuzu opened up the door, "Ah! My future son-in-law! It's so great to see you!" Kasanoda was wearing a basic hakama with some blue designs on it. He blinked a few times and immediately turned bright red with embarrassment, "Ah, yeah... it's great to see you too..." Misuzu smiled happily and immediately hugged him, "Ah! My Mei is so lucky to have you!" Mei frowned towards her father, "Dad! Get off of him! And let's head over to Haruhi's!" Misuzu grabbed his phone and dialed Ranka. Once Ranka gave the approval for them to come over for a bit, the three of them began heading to Haruhi's apartment.

~...~

Ranka happily opened the door when Misuzu knocked on it, "Welcome! Come in, come in!" Once the three entered into the apartment, they were fairly surprised to see both Hunny and Mori both wearing shitagi. Hunny smiled happily at the three entering, "Hey!" Mori nodded politely. Both Hunny and Mori were sitting at the table with the Wish Tree both seated next to Haruhi. Kasanoda stared at his two sempais and blinked, "Uhh... why are you two wearing shitagi?" Hunny smiled happily, "Because it feels comfy!" Mori just nodded in agreement. Kasanoda shrugged and sat down at the table. Hunny handed him a tanzaku and a permanent marker, "Here you go! Make a wish! Oh oh! And just wondering... but... why are you wearing hakama?" Kasanoda grabbed the paper and marker from Hunny and immediately answered his question, "Since Mei-chan's father was going to be present, I wanted to make a good impression, so I wore my finest formal wear." Hunny smiled, "Uwa~ that's amazing!" Mei walked over to Haruhi, "So... is everyone gathering here today?" Haruhi shook her head, "No, just a few people are coming over to write their wishes." Mei smirked, "So... where's Tamaki?" There it was, the question that she didn't want to answer, "Ah, he's at home." Mori watched Haruhi's uneasy expression. Mei raised an eyebrow, "So... he's not coming today?" Haruhi turned her attention towards her tanzaku, she still didn't have a wish to write down, but none-the-less, she didn't want to face Mei while on this topic, "He's not coming." Mei sat down and shrugged. She knew that something was up, but couldn't put her finger on it.

Hunny smiled, "Ne, ne~ once you write your wishes make sure to place them on the tree! Otherwise they won't come true!" Mei giggled, "That's not true. It's just a superstition." Hunny shook his head, "Nu-uh, it's true Mei-chan! Tanabata is a time for wishes. If you want your wishes to come true then it's essential to place them on the tree." Mei giggled, "Well, even if I didn't put my wish up there, I still know that it will come true." Hunny raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why's that? What's your wish Mei-chan?" Mei took a tanzaki and wrote her wish down. Once written, she held it up for Hunny to read: _To watch the fireworks with Kasanoda. 3_ Hunny smiled, "Now place it on the tree! Otherwise you might get unlucky and it will rain tonight!" Ranka shook his head, "It's not going to rain!" Hunny smiled, "What makes you say that?" Ranka pointed up at a bunch of small dolls that he crafted. The dolls are protectors to prevent the rain, "That's why!" Hunny jumped up and down, "Great planning!"

~...~

After finishing some sewing, Lucio grabbed Hikaru's arm, "Alright Hikaru. Let's head out!" Hikaru sighed, "I really don't want to." Lucio frowned, "No's not an answer! After I bought this gorgeous yukata, it's a must for going out to see the festivities!" Hikaru sighed, "Do you know the meaning behind today?" Lucio nodded, "Of course! I may be foreign, but I'm very well informed! Such a romantic holiday like today MUST be celebrated! Think Hikaru, your true love might be waiting for you there!" Hikaru sighed, "My true love has already been lost to me." Lucio crossed his arms and pouted, "You're a sore sport! You know that? Now, whether you like it or not, we're going!" He pulled Hikaru up from the chair, "Let's go Hi-ka-ru~!" Hikaru had an irritated look on his face, "Fine. Let's hurry this up and get back."

~...~

The main street was filled with thousands of people. Small parades and contests were going along the strip. Outdoor stalls were selling food, while others provided some carnival games. Decorations of large, colorful streamers were seen everywhere. Misuzu and Ranka were walking next to each other talking about random topics, when suddenly they both stopped dead in their tracks. Their eyes began to shine as they saw a large sign: _Miss Tanabata Contest._ Smiling towards each other, the two men rushed over to the sign-up table to register. Regardless of being men, they felt the need to compete and win that specific contest.

Mei sighed seeing her father and father's friend run off towards that table. Kasanoda squeezed her hand and smiled, "Don't worry, he won't embarrass you. Your father is a great man." Mei smiled towards him, "I know... I've come to accept his ways. It took me awhile, but if it wasn't for Haruhi, I probably never would've accepted him." Kasanoda smiled, then looked towards the registration table, "You know... you would definitely win that contest." Mei blushed and looked up at him, "What makes you say that?" Kasanoda turned towards Mei, red in the face, "B-because... you are the prettiest woman here..." Mei stood up on her tiptoes and slightly kissed him. "Thanks." The two then began to wander the streets hand-in-hand.

Hunny was hopping along next to Haruhi and Mori, "So Haru-chan, I'm flattered that you wanted to hang with us, but I'm curious why you only invited us." Haruhi took a small breath, "It's been awhile since we've really hung out, right? I hardly get to see you two." Mori gave a small knowing look towards Haruhi. Hunny smiled, "Thanks Haru-chan. Even though something's seriously bugging you... you still are so kind. But you know what Haru-chan?" Haruhi looked at him. "You can always confide in us. We're always here for you Haru-chan... so if you ever need to talk, you can." Haruhi smiled, "Thanks Hunny-sempai." Hunny shook his head, "It's not a prob- CAKE!" He immediately rushed over to get in a line for a small stall that was selling cakes. Haruhi giggled to herself as he ran off. Mori looked at Haruhi, "What happened to your engagement ring?" Haruhi let out a deep breath, "Mori-sempai... you're always seeing everything..." Mori gave a slight nod, "You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable." Haruhi let out a deep breath, "Yesterday..." Her eyes began to get teary, "I... I broke off the engagement... I... I feel horrible but... but... I just don't love Tamaki like I used to..." Mori placed a hand on the top of her head, "It's ok. No one blames you. It's best for you to break it off before the wedding rather than after." Haruhi began to calm down somewhat. Something about Mori-sempai did that. Hunny then arrived back with cake in his hands, "Look what I got! Isn't it great?"

~...~

It was fifteen til seven and Kaoru was already standing infront of the large oak tree near the lake. The area he picked wasn't too crowded; however, he knew that around midnight the area would be filled with people. He was deeply thinking about how to approach the topic at hand. He wasn't really sure why, but ever since the horrible news about Miranda and the prime minister's son got out, he couldn't get her off of his mind. He had so many different thoughts about the entire situation and as much as he wanted to be pissed off at her, he found himself making up excuses for her. Yet, the opportunity to meet her was most definitely a priority. This way, he could most definitely figure out the real situation.

On the other side of the oak tree, the young fashion designer Seul Jan-Di was sitting, overlooking the lake. She also was awaiting a visitor at seven.

Kaoru noticed a figure walking in his direction, he was rather annoyed when he saw the familiar face from all the newspapers and magazines. It was the prime minister's son. Irritated and annoyed with his appearance, he took a step towards him, "What are you doing here?" The young man eyed Kaoru, "You look familiar... do I know you?" Kaoru bit the lower part of his lip, "You... you..." Before he could say another word, Jan-Di walked out from the other side of the tree, "Thanks for meeting me here." The man glanced at Kaoru, "Nevermind. I have no business with you." He then walked over to Jan-Di, "Why did you call me out here?"

~...~

Ten minutes passed after seven and Kaoru was relieved that Jan-Di and the male left the area. He heard a bit of their conversation, but none of it was essential to him. He was just thrilled that that man was no where near him. It was unusual for Kaoru to get angry, but the second that he recognized that man, his right hand formed a fist and his blood began to boil. If Jan-Di wasn't there, he wondered what would've happened. He tried his best to calm himself down, then he looked at the time of his cell. An hour passed. He took a deep breath and released it. Even though he said that he would wait until she arrived, he began to assume that she wasn't showing up. When he was about to leave the area, Miranda rushed over to him, "Kaoru! Sorry I'm late!"

Kaoru's eyes widened as he saw Miranda wearing a light pink and purple yukata. He was incredibly surprised with that appearance. Her hair was in an updo with two chopsticks holding it together. The style was Japanese, yet it looked cute on her. He wasn't exactly sure why, but his heart began to speed up a bit. Miranda then held out a rather large picnic basket, "I'm not sure if you have eaten or not but... the reason that I'm late is because I made this." Kaoru grabbed the picnic basket and opened it up to see some poorly made rice balls. There were a two cans of tea included. Kaoru also noticed a picnic blanket. He pulled it out and placed it on the ground. He then sat down on the blanket and grabbed an onigiri, "You're not very good at making these, huh?" Miranda looked at the blanket, "I... tried. I'm used to making churros... not Japanese food..." Kaoru laughed and took a bite, "Regardless of it's poor structure, it's delicious." Miranda slightly blushed, "I'm... glad."

Kaoru then looked at her, "That look suits you." "Eh?" Kaoru took another bite of the rice ball and became silent. Miranda then broke the silence, "You... you said that you have something to talk to me about?" Kaoru took a sip of the tea, "That's right." He ran a hand through his hair, then looked directly at her, "Miranda." "Yeah?" She was awaiting the dreaded conversation.

He took a small breath. For whatever reason, he couldn't get out the words that he wanted to ask. Instead, his mouth began to form words without him thinking, "Today's Tanabata. Do you know the story behind it?" Miranda shook her head, "I know that people place their wishes on bamboo and that they tend to set them afload on a river... or if they can't get to a river, they burn them at midnight." Kaoru nodded, "Well, there's that, but you don't know the story?" Miranda took a bite of her rice ball, "Right. I really don't know anything about it."

The stars began to become rather visible in the sky at this point in time. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the moon's light radiated over the lake. Kaoru continued to speak, "Do you know Orihime?" Miranda shook her head. "Well, Orihime, or The Weaving Princess, was daughter of the Universe. She wove gorgeous clothes by the Milky Way's bank." (Milky Way is literally translated as "Heavenly River") Her father loved how hard she worked and the results of her work. But, Orihime was sad. She was sad, because all of her hard work prevented her from being able to meet and fall in love with someone. The Universe was concerned about his daughter, so he arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi. Do you know Hikoboshi?" Miranda, once again, shook her head in disagreement. "Well, Hikoboshi is the Cow Herder Star. He worked on the other side of the Milky Way. Anyways, when they met, it was love at first sight. Shortly after their meeting, they married. Yet, once they were married, Orihime stopped weaving cloth for the Universe and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to be all over Heaven. This angered the Universe, so he separated the two across the Milky Way and forbade them to meet. Orihime was really upset with the loss of her husband and convinced the Universe to allow them to meet again. Her tears moved the Universe and he allowed them to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month only if she continued working hard on her weaving. When they tried to meet the first time, they weren't able to cross the river since there wasn't a bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came to her and promised that they would create a bridge with their wings."

Miranda listened closely to the story, "Wow, that's very interesting." Kaoru nodded, "It's said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies aren't able to come down. So, if it rains, the two lovers have to wait another year to meet." Miranda looked up into the sky and smiled, "I'm glad though..." Kaoru looked at her, "Why's that?" "Because, there's not a single cloud in the sky. Orihime must be very happy that she can meet up with her husband." Kaoru looked up at the sky, "I guess you're right."

Miranda then turned her attention towards him, "I'm sure that you didn't call me out here to tell me that story... Kaoru... what's on your mind?" Kaoru let out a large sigh, "In all honesty... I want to know the truth from you..."

~...~

Lucio was leading Hikaru around from stall to stall. It was beginning to get old. Lucio, however, was having the time of his life. While near a okonomiya stand, Lucio saw Haruhi with two men in the distance. He smirked seeing her there and when Hikaru's back was turned, Lucio ran over to the two men.

Haruhi's focus was on a game where if you won, you would receive a goldfish. Once Lucio reached the two men, he smiled, "Hey, I'm Lucio, a friend of Haruhi's. Anyways... I have this friend of mine named Hikaru..." Hunny smiled happily, "Hika-chan? He's here?" Lucio nodded, "Yeah... but I was wondering if you two would let him have Haruhi hang with him alone..." Hunny looked up at Mori and Mori nodded in agreement. Hunny smiled, "Of course! Hika-chan will be happy to see Haru-chan again!" Lucio smiled, "Awesome, how about we go get some food from over there? My treat!" Hunny celebrated and Mori followed willingly.

Hikaru turned around and noticed that Lucio went missing, "Damn that guy! I didn't even want to come, he forced me... and then he ditches me? I'll kill him the next time I see him!" He began to walk down the street, he then noticed a familiar hairstyle. He casually made his way over to the goldfish game. Looking at the person playing the game, he immediately lost a bit of breath, "Ha...Haruhi?" Haruhi was in the middle of playing the game. She then turned her attention to the voice behind her, "Hikaru? Hey..." She stood up and faced him, "How are you?" "Good... are you here alone?" Haruhi shook her head, "I came with..." She turned to where Mori and Hunny were, "Ah... I guess that they left... oh well... I have been playing this game for awhile now..." Hikaru rubbed the back of his head, his heart began to beat hard, "Uhh... so... would you... is it ok if... May I... Haruhi..." Haruhi smiled towards him, "Hm?"

Hikaru took another breath, "Is it alright if I hang with you tonight? I... I came alone..." Haruhi nodded, "I'd be honored." Hikaru's entire body surged with happiness. Even if they were hanging out as just friends, he was thrilled that he could be the one with her on this romantic holiday. Yet... in the back of his head, he wondered where Tamaki was... yet, he didn't want to even discuss Tamaki with her.

Hikaru squatted down at the game and with the first scoop, he caught a goldfish. The volunteers at the stand smiled, "Congratulations!" They then handed Hikaru a bag with the goldfish that he won. He smiled towards Haruhi and handed her the goldfish, "This is what you wanted, right?" Haruhi let out a small laugh, "I spent a long time trying to get a fish... you made it look so easy." Hikaru smirked, "Well, there's a very simple trick to these things."


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: **Part two of Tanabata. The main focus is Kaoru; however, there is some Hikaru/Haruhi. Next chapter will be more focused on Hikaru. Also, it's popular for the bamboo and decorations from tanabata to be either set afloat on a river or burned after the festival.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Twenty-Nine.**

~...~

_"In all honesty... I want to know the truth from you..."_

The pause between the next time Kaoru spoke towards Miranda felt like an eternity. Miranda stared blankly towards the lake, leaning up against the tree. The distant sound of a train could be heard. Kaoru took a deep breath, "The articles Miranda... is it true that you've been with the prime minister's son?" A breeze flew through the air and touched Miranda's hand gently. Her eyes were fixated on the water, which now had a reflection of the moon in it. Her heart tugged with a bit of pain, while a sad look appeared on her face. She still stared at the water, trying her best to not look at Kaoru. Kaoru, however, watched every aspect of her. He wanted to know what was going on. She allowed herself to release a small breath, "It's all true."

Kaoru stared at her. He wasn't sure what to say next. He had so many thoughts running through his head... so many questions, yet... the shock of the answer being true bothered him. Something inside of him pestered him, yet he wasn't sure what it was. He then stopped looking at her and gazed out at the water.

After several moments of silence, Miranda spoke up, "It's perfect, isn't it?"

Kaoru continued to stare out at the water, "What is?"

"The moon's reflection in the water."

Kaoru just nodded and blankly stared. They continued to be silent.

~...~

Haruhi and Hikaru spent two hours wandering the street's festivities. They genuinely were just trying to enjoy themselves. After the two hours had past, Hikaru placed his right hand on her left shoulder, "Haruhi... can I show you something?" Haruhi turned towards him and nodded, "Sure Hikaru."

Hikaru lead Haruhi towards a small dock, there, canoes were available for rent. Hikaru paid a man who worked there. He then lead Haruhi into the canoe.

Once inside the canoe, Hikaru rowed to the center of the lake. While he was rowing, he noticed that Haruhi's attention was on something. He could tell that she was in deep thought. Once he stopped rowing, he saw her gazing at the water. "Haruhi?"

His voice cut her thoughts, "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You seemed to be zoning out..."

"Ah... I was thinking..."

Hikaru nodded, "That was obvious... but... at times... it seemed as if you were sad..."

Haruhi forced a smile towards Hikaru, "Say Hikaru..."

"Hm?"

"I want to thank you for all your hard work on the wedding dress."

Hikaru's eyes glazed over, he could feel his heart starting to drop, "Ah... well... it was nothing..."

Haruhi looked at him with an undescribable look, "You spent all that time making the dress and..." Her eyes began to get wet.

"Haruhi?" He moved a bit closer to her.

She looked at the bottom of the canoe, "I feel bad."

Hikaru was completely confused, but continued to listen.

"Regardless of how gorgeous that dress is... I can't wear it."

Hikaru's eyes widened. He wondered if it was wrong of him to make the dress afterall. It was the only thing that he could really give her. He stared off at nothing in particular, "Oh... It's... ok Haruhi... I can understand that you want a different designer's dress..."

"NO! It's not that Hikaru!"

Hikaru was startled by her sudden loud response, "Eh?"

Haruhi quieted her voice, "I can't wear the dress because I'm not getting married."

Hikaru's eyes widened with surprise, "Wait... WHAT?"

Haruhi couldn't bring herself to tell him again.

"You... you're not getting married? H-how did this happen? EH?"

Haruhi was silent for awhile, then finally answered, "I don't love Tamaki like I used to. It would be unfair to marry him with these feelings of mine..."

Hikaru watched Haruhi and nodded, "It's ok Haruhi."

Haruhi shook her head as tears began to roll down her eyes, "I HURT HIM HIKARU! I didn't want to, but I know that he's not ok! Even though he claims that it's alright... I... I feel horrible!"

Without thinking, Hikaru grabbed Haruhi's wrist and pulled her towards him, bringing her into a hug. He looked up at the moon in the sky, "Haruhi, it's alright. No one blames you... It's actually best that you broke up with him before you two got married. I'm sure that Tono undestands."

Haruhi clenched his shirt with her hands. They stayed in that position for awhile, until Haruhi stopped crying.

~...~

After a long moment of silence, fireworks began to burst into the sky. The area surrounding Kaoru and Miranda became flooded with a huge crowd of people. Miranda then broke her gaze from the moon's reflection and looked at Kaoru, "Kaoru."

Kaoru looked at her, "Yes?"

She gave him a sad smile, "I'm going to be heading back to America tomorrow."

Kaoru stared at her. He didn't have any words. He wasn't sure how to react.

Miranda continued to speak, "Before I leave here... I have to tell you the truth."

Kaoru slowly nodded and continued to listen to her.

"Everything that I did was to help your career. I know that... that it's a strange way to enhance your career but... I... I needed a way to get Seul JanDi out of the spotlight."

Kaoru had a bit of a disappointed look on his face, but he still didn't comment.

"It was originally your mother's idea. I agreed to it. I know that I didn't have to, but she told me all the benefits that would come out of it."

Kaoru let out a deep breath, "It's the money, right? You did all of this because Mom paid you well..."

Miranda took a few steps forward, enough that she invaded his personal bubble. "That's not true!"

Kaoru stood still, staring right at her, "Then what is it Miranda? I never considered you the type of woman to sell yourself so cheap!"

Miranda's eyes began to puff up, "You're an idiot! You should know the reason by now!"

Kaoru frowned, "Well I don't know the reason."

Miranda took one more step closer to him and forcefully kissed him. She then took a step back, "It's because I've been in love with you for awhile now!"

Kaoru blinked a few times. He always knew that she liked him. He even teased her about liking him back in America, but for some reason, he just couldn't grasp the whole concept of her liking him. She was always there as a friend. Someone that he confided in. The sudden kiss stunned him. He didn't dislike it, but he didn't like it either. He couldn't describe anything in that moment.

Miranda then turned around, "Anyways, I'm leaving... The only reason that I came to meet you was solely because I needed to tell you that I'm leaving and that I'll stop bothering you." She began to walk away.

As pink fireworks illuminated the air, Kaoru finally rushed after her. Grabbing her arm and forcing her to face him.

Miranda tried to get out of his grip, "What?"

Kaoru looked at her sadly. Her eyes were red from crying, "Miranda... you don't need to go back to America. You can stay here..."

Miranda shook her head, "There's nothing in Japan for me."

Kaoru glanced down, "I'm here."

Miranda turned away from him and got out of his grip, "Just because you're here doesn't mean I should stay!"

Kaoru looked up at her, "But you claim that you love me!"

Miranda nodded, "I do love you! But that doesn't give me a reason to stay here!"

Kaoru was beginning to get annoyed, "You're not making sense! Isn't it every girl's dream to be near the man that she loves?"

Miranda glared towards him, "You're wrong Kaoru! It's painful this way! When you're in love with someone who will never love you back... it's too painful... I... I need to actually move towards the future now... When I get back to America, these feelings will be engraved in my heart... then, I will do my best to make you a forgotten dream."

Kaoru stood still as she walked out of his sight. He thought of what she said. The more that he thought about it, the more he knew that she was right. It was painful for her. It never occurred to him how much pain he inflicted on her in the past. He was so used to her being a friend who was really into him. He never even considered her as date-material. He looked up towards the sky to see multiple colors in the sky with loud booms. It was the first time that he witnessed such a sad-array of fireworks.

As the fireworks continued on, he didn't realize that he began to cry. A strange, bittersweet feeling fell upon him. Suddenly weight was applied to his back.

"KAO-CHAN!" Hunny screamed as he jumped on Kaoru's back, "What's wrong, Kao-chan?"

Kaoru sadly smiled as he looked at more fireworks, "I've just been thinking Hunny-sempai... that's all."

~...~

Hikaru and Haruhi watched the fireworks from the canoe. They both were silent. Hikaru found the moment to be completely precious. Even though Haruhi was crying earlier, he felt happy inside. He smiled up at the fireworks, as if they were a gift from heaven showing him that there's hope between him and Haruhi afterall.

After the fireworks ended, Hikaru rowed the canoe back to the deck and helped Haruhi out. Haruhi smiled towards him, "Thanks Hikaru. I feel a lot better now." Hikaru slightly blushed and shook his head, "It's not a problem... I'm glad that I could be of some help."

"I should probably go find my dad now... he probably wants to do a proper burning of the wish tree."

Hikaru nodded, "I understand. See you around Haruhi." He watched as Haruhi left his sight, then pulled out a small piece of paper that had his wish written on it: _I wish for Haruhi to become the happiest woman in the world._ He looked at his watch and noticed that it was midnight. He then, placed his wish afloat on the lake. "Kami-sama... Please allow this wish to come true."


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: **Finally a chapter with the twins!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty.**

~...~

Hikaru sat down at a small cafe. He was sipping on some French Coffee and eating a croissant. Finally, the person that he was waiting for sat down across from him.

"Hey Hikaru."

"Kaoru... what's up?"

Earlier that morning, Kaoru sent a text message to Hikaru: _Hikaru... let's get breakfast... I want to talk. _

Kaoru took out his phone and had a strange expression on his face. He clicked a few buttons then handed the phone over to Hikaru, "Read it."

_Miranda: I just boarded the plane. Goodbye Kaoru. I cherished knowing you. _

Hikaru raised a single eyebrow and looked at Kaoru, "What. The. Hell?"

Kaoru let out a small laugh, "What do you mean by 'what the hell?'? Isn't it obvious? She's going back to America."

Hikaru handed the phone back over to Kaoru, "I don't know anything regarding you and Miranda... I read something in the paper about her and the prime minister's son... and I found out about your fashion show... other than that... I've been left in the dark..."

Kaoru sadly smiled at his cup of coffee, "We used to tell each other everything... I kind of miss that..."

Hikaru nodded, "Same..."

Kaoru then let out a small chuckle, "But we're rivals in the fashion industry... we can't tell each other everything."

Hikaru laughed, "True. I don't need you knowing my big plans for the fashion industry."

Kaoru smiled, "But you know what Hikaru?"

Hikaru looked directly at his brother.

Kaoru continued, "Just because we're rivals doesn't change the fact that we're brothers... it doesn't change the fact that we should be communicating as much as we used to."

Hikaru nodded, "True. So... tell me what's going on."

Kaoru took a deep breath, then explained the entire situation between him and Miranda.

"Hikaru... I don't know why but... the second that I got that text from her... it really hit me hard... like... I feel as if we'll never meet."

Hikaru glanced to the side, "Say Kaoru..."

"Hm?"

"Are you in love with Miranda?"

Kaoru spat out some of the coffee he was drinking, "WHAT?"

Hikaru smirked, "I always thought that you were the one to figure things out first... guess that I was wrong... things have changed since high school."

Kaoru ran a hand through his hair, "You're wrong. I know what love is."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? Then... tell me what Miranda is to you."

Kaoru took a bite of his croissant, "She's a friend."

"Just a friend?"

"She's just like one of the guys."

Hikaru sighed, "What did you think of the kiss she gave you?"

Kaoru thought for a minute, "It was strange."

"Good strange? Or bad strange?"

"...I don't know."

"But you're bothered by her going back to America..."

"Of course!"

"Why?"

"That's because..." Kaoru thought for a moment. He really didn't have an answer to that question, "She... she could work in the fashion industry here..."

Hikaru smirked, "She can work in the fashion industry in America too."

Kaoru frowned, "But she had a foot in the door here."

"Oh?"

Kaoru nodded, "She was working with me."

Hikaru sighed, "Ok... I got it..."

~...~

They ate some more, then Kaoru spoke up, "So... have you given up on Haruhi yet?"

Hikaru took a bite and shook his head, "Absolutely not."

Kaoru frowned, "She's getting married to Tono..."

Hikaru smirked, "You are incorrect."

"Eh?"

"I met Haruhi yesterday. She was a bit sad, but she told me that she broke off the engagement. She no longer loves Tono."

Kaoru's face went from shock to overly ecstatic, "That's great Hikaru!"

Hikaru nodded, "I know. I can finally win her heart."

Kaoru was almost jumping out of his seat with joy, "Yes! So, what's the plan to get her to fall for you?"

Hikaru thought for a moment, "About that..."

Kaoru let out a laugh, "You don't know how to win her over, do you?"

Hikaru nodded in defeat.

Kaoru smirked, "Well, let's discuss what we know... firstly, Haruhi, who was in a relationship with Tono for about five years finally broke it off. From our knowledge, Tono is her first and only boyfriend."

Hikaru nodded, thinking over the facts.

"So, she's only had dates that Tono would go on... which generally means that she's only encountered crazy relationships in her life."

Hikaru nodded, "That's right..."

Kaoru continued, "Knowing Haruhi, she doesn't like things to be too crazy, but if she's dated Tono, she must like something that's _out there_."

Hikaru nodded, "Seems like it... so what is it that she likes?"

Kaoru rubbed the back of his head, "I have no clue. It takes a certain kind of special for someone to be able to date Tono."

Hikaru and Kaoru both laughed. Then Hikaru spoke up, "I don't think that I want to know what attracted her to Tono. Instead, I'll do things myself. Instead of trying to appeal as Haruhi's type, I'll be myself. If we're meant to be... then me being myself will win her over."

Kaoru patted Hikaru on the back, "That's the best way."

Kaoru paid for their food and then they both started walking down the streets. While walking, Hikaru spoke up, "Kaoru... how long do you think I should wait before asking her out?"

Kaoru thought for a moment, "She did just get out of a serious relationship; however, you have the advantage of being a close friend. I think that you and her should go out as friends for a bit. Then, when the chemistry feels right, ask her out."

"Thanks Kaoru."

Kaoru smiled, "Oh, before I leave... are you going to enter that fashion design contest?" Hikaru nodded, "You know it. The winner pretty much has guaranteed success in the industry!" Kaoru smirked, "Well, I'll support you with Haruhi; however, I must admit that my entry into the contest will be victorious." Hikaru laughed, "We'll see about that."

They both began to walk their separate ways, until Hikaru stopped and turned around. He yelled out towards Kaoru, "Kaoru!"

Kaoru turned around and stood still, looking at his double, "Yeah?"

"I changed my mind!"

Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "About what?"

"About leaving right now!" Hikaru ran over to his brother, "Screw the stuff that needs to get done. Let's prank Kyoya!"

Kaoru smiled and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders, "I hung out with him the other night... he's really into this one bartender at a bar in Tokyo. He hasn't gotten the guts to do anything about it though." Hikaru smirked, "Let's help him out then!"

With that said, Kaoru contacted Kyoya and made plans to meet at the bar.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: **I'm on this huge samurai high right now! (mainly because I was able to hold a Japanese guy's katana and another Japanese guy told me that I was cute) ^^;;; Anyways~ I finally got around to writing this chapter. I originally had an idea for this chapter... then forgot it... and now I get around to finishing it. xD

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-One.**

~...~

That night, Kaoru and Hikaru both met with Kyoya. After a few drinks, the twins were able to get Kyoya to speak to the bartender that he was interested in. Once he had gotten her number, Hikaru managed to grab Kyoya's phone while he wasn't looking. He then reprogrammed his phone number as the bartender's and vice-versa. He then acted as if he picked the phone up from the ground, "Kyoya, you dropped this." Kyoya grabbed the phone from Hikaru. "Thanks."

After they all were done hanging at the bar, they began to walk towards Kyoya's house. Before heading inside, Kyoya spoke up, "How long should one wait before making a call?" At the same time, the twins responded, "Three days." Kyoya sighed, "That's pretty long..." Hikaru smirked, "You don't want to seem hasty." Karou nodded, "Indeed. Girls don't like it when a guy is desperate." Kyoya let out a small breath, "Thanks guys... I really am not good at these things." Hikaru laughed, "Obviously. You haven't had a girlfriend yet..." Kyoya frowned, "I've never found it beneficial. Now that I'm older and rather successful, I think that it might be about time." Kaoru smirked, "Which is why you're going for this bartender, right?" Kyoya nodded, "Yeah..." Hikaru smirked, "Make sure that you wait three days until you call her." Kyoya nodded, "Of course. Three days." The twins then headed over to Hikaru's apartment.

Hikaru took out his phone and smirked, "So, how long do you think until he contacts?" Kaoru smirked, "As calculating as he is... I think that when it comes to women, he'll be the idiotic type." Hikaru nodded, "My thoughts exactly." Kaoru continued, "I think that he'll contact in the morning. He won't call though. It will be a text." Hikaru nodded, "Exactly what I was thinking."

~...~

Kyoya stared at his phone while sitting on his bed, "Well... they said not to call for three days... texting on the other hand... perhaps that's alright..."

As expected, early morning, a text message from Kyoya came in: _Hey. It was nice meeting you yesterday. This is Kyoya by the way. How are you?_

The twins both doubled over in laughter at the extremely lame text from Kyoya. "It's a good thing that I'm nice enough to save him from his stupidity." Hikaru mentioned while smirking. Kaoru nodded, "Indeed. I'm sure this message would scare that girl right away." Hikaru nodded back, "You are quite right Kaoru. Obviously, Kyoya-sempai doesn't know women at all..." Kaoru grabbed the phone and smirked, "Well, guess that it's time to respond."

~...~

A few minutes later, Kyoya's phone went off and he immediately opened up the text from the _bartender_. _Hey Kyoya: Funny thing... I was just thinking of you. I'm doing fine. How about yourself?_

Kyoya read the text message, then overanalyzed it. Once he figured that it wasn't one of those female games, he decided to respond: _I'm doing well. I've been a bit busy lately._

Hikaru smirked with the latest text, "My turn Kaoru."

_Busy? What have you been busy doing? ;)_

Kyoya stared at the text message. The question was simple; however, that emoticon at the end completely threw him off. "A winking emoticon... Usually that implies playfulness... yet, asking a question and implying playfulness is quite a strange combination. Unless, she thinks that I've been doing something fun lately? I guess that I will have to make myself appeal to her tastes here... Yet, from my research, she seems to be into the type of guys that work out..." Naturally, before Kyoya gathered her number, he did some of his own personal research. From what he had gathered, she used to date men who would frequent the gym.

_Besides work, I have been working out at my own personal gym._

Kaoru and Hikaru both doubled in laughter. They figured that Kyoya has been working out a bit, but for him to say something like that to a girl that he's interested in amused them beyond no end. After a small talk about the text, the two came up with a response.

_Working out at your own personal gym, huh? Mmm, I do love a guy that can work a sweat. ;)_

And there it was again... the famous winking emoticon. Kyoya overanalyzed this text message. He found it strange that a girl would be into sweat; however, he didn't hold it against her. Without really thinking how wrong his next text would sound, he sent it.

_Maybe we could go to my gym and work a sweat together?_

The twins stared at the text that came in. They blinked. Then stared again. They most definitely didn't expect such a response. Hikaru stared at his brother, "Kyoya-sempai really wants to lose his virginity... doesn't he?" Kaoru softly nodded, "That's what it sounds like..." Hikaru looked back at the text again, "But he didn't even use a winking emoticon..." Kaoru nodded, "Indeed. Without something lighthearted like an emoticon or a 'lol', it sounds waaay too desperate and serious."

~...~

Hunny walked into Kyoya's room with some cake, "I'm here!" Kyoya placed his phone on the table, "Ah! I almost forgot that you were coming." Hunny cocked his head to the side, "Is everything ok? You never forget plans..." Kyoya placed a hand through his hair, "It's complicated but..." Kyoya eventually explained the entire situation to Hunny. Hunny smiled, "Can I see the texts?" Kyoya nodded and handed over the phone.

Hunny read through the texts, then looked at the phone number. He then grabbed his own phone and placed the number in his phone, "Ne, ne... Kyo-chan..."

Kyoya looked up at Hunny eagerly, "Yes?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it seems that you're being pranked."

Kyoya frowned, "What do you mean?"

Hunny sighed, "Seems that this number belongs to Hika-chan." He held up his contacts and compared the numbers.

Kyoya's face began to turn red with anger, "Those twins... they're dead!"

Hunny gulped and immediately jumped up, "Ne! How about this! We play the game back and scare them!"

Kyoya smirked, "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

~...~

By this point in time, the twins finally came up with a response. _Maybe we'll sweat together another day... I'm trying to relax my bad back by soaking in the bathtub._

Hunny and Kyoya both laughed at the extremely lame text. Hunny smirked, "So Kyo-chan... which option are you going to use?"

Kyoya had an evil smirk on his face and he immediately began to start texting back: _Soaking in the bath, eh? That sounds great... it reminds me of something..._

The twins were immediately intrigued by this text. "I wonder what it reminds him of!" Hikaru shouted out. Kaoru excitedly spoke up, "Maybe a deep, dark secret?"

_Reminds you of something? Oooh, I'm interested to find out what... _

It wasn't long before Kyoya responded: _Well... I guess that I'll have to be honest with you... since I'm really into you. I have a confession to make. I hope that it doesn't scare you._

The twins glanced at each other. Their grins as wide as they could get them. _A confession? I'm sure that whatever it is isn't bad. You can confide in me! :D_

And there the next text came in, leaving the twins stunned and shocked... not to mention a little bit disturbed.

_I've been having reoccuring dreams about my friends. They're twins and I've been dreaming of soaking and making out with them in a bathtub full of bubbles. _

Kaoru was the first one to speak up, "He has... gay thoughts about us..." Hikaru nodded while shuddering, "It's hard to believe... I never knew..." Kaoru continued, "But we can't let him know that we know." HIkaru nodded, "Yeah... that would blow the entire thing out of the water.

~...~

Kyoya and Hunny both planned everything out perfectly. As expected, Kaoru and Hikaru didn't continue the text communications that night. Yet, the next day, Kyoya made sure to invite the twins to the bar.

While sitting with the twins at a table, Kyoya took a sip of his martini, "I had the most amazing dream last night." The twins both looked at each other, then towards Kyoya. "What kind of dream?"

"It was kind of an insane dream... I doubt that you two would be interested."

They immediately wanted to know. Even though they had a feeling that they would freak out after hearing it, they couldn't help themselves. Hikaru pestered Kyoya, "We're interested. So what's it about?"

Kyoya then went on a long explaination of a dream that he supposedly had. It wasn't anything that the twins were expecting. "... And then I made the huge deal with that huge American company! Insane, right?"

Hikaru and Kaoru sighed, "That's the best dream you've got?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Actually, I've got something else that's more interesting..."

The twins were immediately intrigued, "Go on!"

Kyoya walked over to the bar and returned back with the bartender. Kyoya then placed an arm around her, "We're dating."

The twins were completely stunned, "What?"

Kyoya smirked, "I ignored your wait three days rule."

Hikaru frowned, "Obviously."

Kaoru spoke up, "But how did this happen?"

Kyoya laughed, "I called her yesterday."

The bartender then spoke up, "And I said yes, because I love a man who calls right away. Just for the record, I would NEVER text someone that I'm soaking in the bathtub!"

Hikaru and Kaoru both frowned, "How boring~ we've been found out!"

Kyoya glared at the twins, "Touch my phone again and I will hunt you both down and kill you."

The twins shrugged, "Fine, fine." Kaoru then spoke up, "So... when did you find out?"

Kyoya smirked, "You should never underestimate my information network."

The twins frowned, "We should've pranked someone more interesting..."


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: **Once again, I want to thank you for all the reviews. Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Two.**

~...~

_Two Weeks Later..._

"Hikaru."

Hikaru was in the middle of putting on his drag make-up, when he turned towards the voice, "Yes?"

"I'm concerned about Haruhi."

Hikaru looked at Ranka's distraught face, "Did she not tell you yet?"

Ranka sat down next to Hikaru and shook his head, "She hasn't said a word since Tanabata... actually, I'm really concerned since she's been locking herself up in her room. On occasion... I'll hear sniffling."

Hikaru ran his hand through his hair. He knew that break-ups were hard. Yet, he couldn't even begin to think of how hard it would be on Haruhi after being with Tono for around five years. Hikaru didn't have any words for her father. He wanted to say something, anything to make him feel better. Yet, nothing came to mind.

"Say Hikaru... has she at least contacted you?"

Hikaru let out a large breath, "Sorry. She hasn't... I've called a few times, but she always picks up saying that it's a bad time to talk."

Ranka sighed, "So... how's your submission to that huge contest coming along?"

Hikaru smirked as he took out a sketch pad and handed it over to Ranka, "This is my submission. I'll be adding some colors before I mail it out."

Ranka's eyes widened in admiration and smiled, "It's gorgeous."

Hikaru smiled, "That's what I've been working on these past few weeks. I'm pretty confident that it will do well. I've never seen a style like this in the fashion world before."

Ranka nodded, "It's refeshing... just looking at the sketch makes me feel like I've been swept into a dream world."

Hikaru grabbed his sketch pad and laughed, "I wouldn't praise it that much."

~...~

After work that night, Ranka grabbed Hikaru's arm and led him back to the apartment. Once inside, Ranka stared right at Hikaru, "Go to Haruhi. You're a close friend of hers... if anyone can help her through this period of grieving... it's you."

Hikaru looked down at the ground, "Wouldn't it be better if Mei went?"

Ranka shook his head, "She's known you longer..." He grabbed Haruhi's door and slowly opened it, then he turned Hikaru around and pushed him forward into Haruhi's room, "I have faith in you." With that said, Ranka winked towards Hikaru and shut the door behind him.

~...~

Hikaru froze still inside of Haruhi's room. He didn't know what to do. He took notice of the room first. The blinds were letting some morning sunlight in, which illuminated her sleeping face on the pillow. He took a few steps forward and stared at her. Her breathing was nice and steady. He figured that she was in a deep, peaceful sleep. He pulled up a small chair next to her bed and sat down, observing her. A small smile appeared on his face as he sat in silence. Without realizing it, his heart began to throb somewhat. It had been awhile since he actually saw her.

~...~

After a good hour of sitting around watching her, Hikaru decided to try to wake her up. He quietly whispered her name, "Haruhi?" The mention of her name made her move a bit in her sleep, causing her to pull the covers up over her head and roll to the other side of the bed. Hikaru stiffled a laugh, "Haruhi?"

She moved around in her sleep again, "No Hikaru... we can't..."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow and smirked, getting closer to her, "We can't what?"

She moved again and in-between small snores spoke again, "We can't... eat that last piece of cake..."

Hikaru laughed, "Why's that Haruhi?"

"Because..." She rolled over again and eventually fell off her bed, "Ouch."

Hikaru loomed over her, "Say Haruhi... are you alright?"

Haruhi looked up at Hikaru, "Eh? Hikaru? Am I still dreaming?"

Hikaru thought for a moment, "Hmmm... depends..."

She sat up and cocked her head to the side, "Don't mess with me... you know perfectly well what's been going on..."

Hikaru sat down infront of her, "Hmmm... I guess you're right. This must be a dream then."

Haruhi grungingly got back on her bed and got comfortable in the covers again, "You're making no sense."

Hikaru sat down on her bed and took a deep breath, "I think that I'm making perfect sense."

Haruhi let out a small breath, "I get it! This has to be a dream! My mind really is messing with me this time... this is just as strange as that weird Wonderland dream that I had once."

Hikaru laid down next to Haruhi, "Say Haruhi... can I be honest with you?"

Haruhi nodded, "You know that you can."

Hikaru took a deep breath, "Remember when I confessed to you back in high school?"

Haruhi was silent, but she nodded her head in agreement.

Hikaru continued, "There hasn't been a single moment since then..."

Haruhi stared at Hikaru taking in his words, still unaware if this is reality or a dream.

"My feelings have never faded..."

Haruhi's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting those words.

Hikaru stared up at the ceiling and continued to speak, "If... If I never met you Haruhi... I don't know what my life would be like... I've come to accept and know my weak side... and... these years... I've always been your friend. I guess in the back of my mind, I've always wished for more... Stupid, right?"

Haruhi still remained quiet and listened intently to him.

"It's been painful Haruhi... all these years... I've... I've been crushed by the pain... These feelings of mine that couldn't reach you... they've only gotten stronger. I... I understand if you can't accept my feelings still... but... if..."

Hikaru's heard began to shake and his stomach was filled with knots. He finally was making his move after all these years, "If you would only give me a chance... I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. If I have to do crazy things to make you laugh, I will. I'll never fail to always make you feel that I love you. I'll do anything and everything for you Haruhi... that's because you have filled the emptiness in my heart."

Haruhi gently placed her right hand on his shoulder. Hikaru turned towards Haruhi, his entire body was tense, his breathing heavier than normal, and some sweat coming down his face. Haruhi looked straight at Hikaru, "Hikaru... I... I'm still not completely over Tamaki..."

Hikaru took another breath, "I know Haruhi. And I don't expect you to be completely over him quickly... I just... I'm just asking for a chance. I... I understand if you don't want to..."

Haruhi took a small breath, "Let me think it over first. I've got a lot on my mind right now..."

~...~

At this point in time, Ranka rushed into the room and pulled Hikaru into a hug, "I KNEW IT! I JUST KNEW THAT YOU WOULD ASK HER OUT!"

Haruhi glared towards her father, "Dad! Did you have to eavesdrop?"

Ranka let go of Hikaru and backed away some, "I'm sorry Haruhi! I didn't mean to! It's just that Daddy wanted to make sure that everything was alright!"

Haruhi let out a sigh, "I'll go make breakfast now..." She began to walk to the kitchen, when she turned around, "Hikaru... why were you in my room to begin with?"

Hikaru gulped and before he could answer Ranka proudly exclaimed, "I pushed him in there to make you happy Haruhi! I knew that a friend would cheer you up! But! I'm more excited with this development!"

Haruhi let out a sigh and began to cook breakfast.

Hikaru was completely red with embarrassment from being overheard by Ranka. Even though he knew that Ranka knew how he felt, the fact that the conversation was overheard was a bit much for him.


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: **I really hope this all makes sense... these past few chapters I've been writing at strange hours... Also, we're back to fashion in this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Three.**

~...~

After breakfast at Haruhi's, Hikaru made sure to leave the vicinity as quickly as possible. Firstly, he was embarrassed being overheard by Ranka. Secondly, he had to deliver his entry to the fashion competition. His entry consisted on a design as well as a list of materials/etc. He quickly made his way to the post office and carefully secured his entry in an envelope and sent it off.

Once he was finished with that, he decided to take a nice walk in a local park. He eventually found a fairly secluded area with a bench. He sat down and began to watch the bright white clouds in the sky. While watching the clouds, he let his mind wander. He thought about the first time that he confessed to Haruhi. Followed by the rejection she gave him. He remembered each and every word she used. As well as her facial expressions. He took a deep breath, watching two clouds cross each other. "What do I do if she rejects me again? I... I don't think that my heart will be able to handle it..."

~...~

Haruhi was washing dishes. Her father was sitting nearby her, "Haruhi..."

"I don't want your opinion on Hikaru, Dad. I don't want to even talk about what you overheard this morning."

Ranka shook his head, "I actually wasn't going to bring that up..."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Oh? Then what is it?"

Ranka took a sip of tea and continued, "It's been awhile since you've returned to Japan... and Daddy is very happy that you're back but... isn't it about time that you find a job with your degree?"

Haruhi stopped drying a plate and looked over at him, "The economy's pretty bad right now Dad... I don't think that-"

Ranka spoke before she could finish, "I understand the economy Haruhi; however, you haven't even tried to search for a job."

Haruhi let out a small breath, "I'll search, so can we get off this topic now?"

Ranka shook his head, "Haruhi. I'm concerned about you. As your father... I need to know what's going on."

Haruhi let out a breath, "Isn't it obvious? I broke off the engagement."

Ranka took another sip of tea, "I'm well-aware of that, but don't make that an excuse to laze around."

Haruhi nodded, "I know... it's just hard."

Ranka walked over to her and placed a hand on top of her head, "I know dear... such is life. If life worked out as easily as you want it to, then where's the learning and adventures?"

Haruhi let out a small laugh, "Ok ok. I get what you're saying."

~...~

Two weeks had passed since Hikaru submitted his entry to the _A Fashion Design Competition_. He was busy creating the actual design he submitted in the proximity of his small apartment. If he wasn't working on his fashion, he was working hard at his job. Since he was so focused, he didn't really think much about how Haruhi would answer him. In fact, a part of him didn't want an answer in fear of rejection.

Lucio was on his way to help Hikaru out on some sundresses. On his way, he grabbed Hikaru's mail and entered into the apartment, "Hey Hikaru~"

Hikaru was focused tearing pieces of a dress, "Yeah?"

"You've got mail. Looks like a letter from that _A Fashion Design Competition_ came in."

Hikaru dropped everything that he was doing, rushed over to Lucio, and grabbed the envelope. He immediatley opened it up:

_Dear Hikaru Hitacchin, _

_After searching through multitudes of designs from inspired designers such as yourself. It is with great pleasure that we invite you to participate in the A Fashion Design Competition. Congratulations for passing the first round. You are one of the five designers chosen to compete this year. _

Hikaru smiled widely reading the letter, "I made it in!"

The _A Fashion Design Competition_ is a freestyle design competition open to both cocept stage and realized works designed by professional and young fashion designers worldwide.

The _A Fashion Design Award_ isn't just an award, it's an indicator of quality and perfection in design, the award is recognized worldwide and takes the attention of design oriented companies, professionals, and interest groups. Winning the _A Fashion Design Award_ is a certificate of excellence for designers, an important milestone in your career. The award attracts the eyes of design oriented companies worldwide, winners will be able to find better and higher profile jobs and sales leads, get a step ahead in their life. Furthermore, the winners of this award are provided extensive and exclusive marketing and communication services to promote success. Also, the winning designs appear on the _A Fashion Designs Book, _which is available worldwide. This book is distributed to the high-profile magazine editors, design oriented companies, and relevant parties. The winning designs are also exhibited at the _A Fashion Design's Exhibition_, which is located first in Japan, then over to Italy, and in New York. The best designs will be picked for the permanent exhibition. The winners appear on magazines, newspapers, webzines, and many other publishing mediums.

The Jury is composed of both Academic and Professional participants worldwide. In addition, the Award features the focus group jury, which is composed of ordinary people to normalize the scoring by eliminating the bias on aesthetics and form sections, the votes of Profession, Academic, and the Focus Group are weighted to determine the final result.

~...~

Lucio poured two glasses of champagne, "Congratulations!" Hikaru took his glass and clinked it against Lucio's. They both took a sip, then Lucio spoke up, "So what happens in the next round?"

Hikaru smirked, "Next week, I'll be showcasing my work of art on a dress form. If the jury likes how it's presented on the dress form, then I'll be moving to the last stage, which is a model showing off the finished work."

Lucio nodded, "So... how is that coming along?"

Hikaru pointed at his room. Cloth was thrown all over the place and the wedding dress that he designed for Haruhi was on a dress form. Yet, the wedding dress was torn in several areas, giving it a grudgy look. At the bottom of the dress, Hikaru dyed areas light blue. At the top of the dress, he dyed a few areas a light pink color. Some patterened fabric was held onto the dress with pins. He still planned on adding them in.

Lucio's eyes widened as he stared at the dress, "Hikaru! What are you thinking?"

Hikaru glanced over at Lucio, "What do you mean?"

"You destroyed that gorgeous wedding dress!"

Hikaru let out a small laugh, "Well... I refuse to let Haruhi wear that dress now. I designed it for a wedding that's not happening. It's about time for this dress to soar."

Lucio shook his head, "If I didn't recognize this as that wedding dress, I would absolutely love it! However, I can't forgive you for destroying such a gorgeous dress!"

Hikaru shook his head, "Sometimes, I don't understand you."

~...~

Kaoru picked up his cell and called Hikaru, "Hey Hikaru?"

"Yeah?"

"You got accepted, right?"

Hikaru nodded, "I'll be seeing you at the competition next week. I wonder who the other three accepted are."

Kaoru let out a small breath, "No clue, but whoever they are... I won't lose against them."

Hikaru looked at his work in progress and took a sip of champagne, "Good... because that means that I won't lose against them either."

"Eh?"

"Since I'll be the winner of this competition..."

Kaoru smirked, "We'll see about that."


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: **Two of the judges are original characters, they aren't really part of the fashion world.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Four.**

~...~

_A week later..._

Hikaru arrived at the appointed place for the competition. Before entering the building, he was extremely surprised with the press outside. Once he stepped onto the property, several photographers and cameramen were surrounding him. Journalists had their pens and paper in hand. Of course, newscasters were asking him several questions.

_"Mr. Hitacchin! Is it true that you want to destroy your brother in this competition?" _

Hikaru smirked hearing the question asked. He found it quite interesting at the fact that the newscaster didn't specify which twin he was. He stopped walking towards the building and looked directly at the newscaster, "What's the name of my brother?" The newscaster stood still in place. Hikaru could tell that she didn't know the difference, "You know... if you don't know which one is which, that's pretty sad... considering that we've got different hair colors..." The newscaster stood there dumbfounded, then spoke up, "That's strange, because when your brother came in... the hair color was the exact same as yours!" Hikaru bit his lower lip, then smiled charmingly towards the camera, "Guess that he really means business then. I can't wait to see how he looks." Once Hikaru turned from the camera, he rolled his eyes and ignored the rest of the press. Once inside the building, he was greeted by none-other than his mother.

"Hikaru. Isn't it about time for you to stop fooling around?"

Hikaru frowned, "I'm not fooling around."

His mother rolled her eyes, "You're lucky that you were even chosen to be in this competition... don't you realize that they only picked you because of your last name?"

"SHUT UP! I'm sick of you making up bullshit!"

Yuzuha took a small breath, "You really are a disappointment."

Hikaru ignored her and walked to the front desk, "Hi... I'm here for the competition."

"Name?"

"Hitacchin Hikaru."

The person behind the desk handed Hikaru a key, "You may use room 302." He then handed Hikaru a large stack of papers, "These papers have the rules, along with the itinerary for the competition. Best of luck to you sir."

Hikaru nodded and began to walk off.

Yuzuha watched as he walked off, "Just so you know... your design won't win."

Hikaru clenched his fist, "What makes you say that?"

Yuzuha smirked, "I'm one of the three judges of course. Do you really think that I will give good scores to a piece of work made out of boredom?"

Hikaru glared towards his mother, "Don't underestimate my design!" He then stormed off. Once he made it into his room, he carefully took out his design. He overlooked the dress. He made sure to double-check everything. He noticed a few loose stitches, so he re-did them. Once he finished that up, he took a look at the papers that the newscaster handed him. "Seems that tonight is just a formal dinner to meet the judges and competitors..." He frowned. He definitely didn't want to run into his mother again.

~...~

Kaoru dressed up in a suit and walked into the restaurant that was on the itinerary. He looked around, then was immediately led to a large table with eight seats. He figured that the seats belonged to the judges as well as the contestants. He was surprised to find himself as the first one to arrive.

Shortly afterwards, Hikaru walked in, followed by Seul Jan Di, followed by a man that wasn't recognizable. Each member sat down one after the other. The three judges then entered and sat down.

Hikaru glared as he watched his mother sit down across from Kaoru. She smiled warmly towards everyone at the table, "Nice to meet you all. I'm Hitacchin Yuzuha. I will be one of the three judges." After Yuzuha, a fairly tall very dark skinned man spoke up, "Nice to meet you all, I'm Giovani." Kaoru's eyes widened, he was extremely surprised that Giovani would appear. In the fashion world, Giovani was a very well-known Italian designer that has over 30,000 stores worldwide. A very small woman with hazel eyes and red hair then spoke up, "It's nice to meet you all, my name is Yumi, from Kawaii Mascots. I'll be one of the judges here." Yumi isn't a popular name in modern day fashion; however, she's extremely skilled in all levels of fashion. Her main focus is creating very cute costumes, which tend to be used in theme parks. Giovanni then spoke up, "Now that we have introduced ourselves, I would like to take the time to know the contestants." Yuzuha spoke up, "It seems that we're missing one." Yumi nodded, "Ah! That's because her flight was delayed!" Giovanni nodded, "We'll give her a few more minutes before we start then." Yuzuha took a small sip of red wine, "Where's her flight from?" Yumi smiled, "America!"

The contestants all were surprised to hear that an American was chosen to be in the competition. Even though it's a worldwide competition, generally only Japanese people enter. Five minutes later, a woman rushed in, "Sorry that I'm late!"

Kaoru's eyes widened as he watched the woman, "It... can't be..."

Giovanni smiled, "Now that the last competitor is here, let's begin the introductions. Let's start with our late bloomer."

The woman nodded, "It's nice to meet everyone. My name is Miranda."

Kaoru couldn't help but stare at her. Hikaru watched his brother's face, then his mother's. Yuzuha didn't seem to be happy with the appearance, "Next!"

Hikaru took a sip of water, "Hello. I'm Hitacchin Hikaru."

"Hitacchin Kaoru."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm Seul Jan Di."

The last competitor then spoke up, "Hey. I'm Zhu Young."

The judges re-introduced themselves. After that, dinner began. The atmosphere was fairly laid back, mainly because alcohol was being served. Yet, Hikaru couldn't help but watch Miranda's gaze completely ignore Kaoru's.

After dinner ended, everyone went back to their rooms; either to make proper last minute adjustments on their outifts, or to sleep. The next day was the second round of the competition. Two out of the five were to be eliminated.

~...~

Kaoru was sitting in his room, laying on his bed looking at the ceiling. He needed to complete his outfit before morning; however, his mind was full of distractions. After awhile of getting nothing accomplished, he wandered out of his room to the hotel's bar, "A Long Island, please." The bartender made him his long island and handed it to him, "Here you are sir." Kaoru grabbed the beverage, "Thanks." He took a sip, then looked directly at the bartender, "Say... what do you do to get something off your mind?" The bartender was cleaning a few glasses, "Hmm... I tend to hang out with other people." Kaoru took a small breath, "I would usually hang with my brother but... I don't want to bother him tonight." The bartender spoke up, "You're free to say anything here." Kaoru looked around the bar to make sure none of the competitors were around, then he spoke up, "There's this girl..." The bartender let out a small laugh, "Isn't the the problem with most men these days?" Kaoru smirked, "I guess so... but it's nothing romantic." The bartender continued to clean glasses, "Is that so?" Kaoru looked at his glass, "She's a friend... but... everything she does affects me..."

"What exactly do you mean?"

Kaoru thought for a moment, "Like... she used to be after me all the time, then suddenly, she tells me that she doesn't want to waste her time anymore... the next thing that I know is that she goes back to America..."

Kaoru took a deep breath, "I thought that I would never see her again... then, she shows up here. Didn't mention anything to me... but she's here."

The bartender smiled knowingly, "Why don't you talk to her?"

Kaoru finished his drink, "I guess that you could say she's ignoring me. Anyways, thanks for listening..." Kaoru paid the bartender, then headed back to his room. He went over to his dressform and began to work on the finishing touches on his piece for the contest.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: **Once again I want to thank everyone who's reading this. :) Since Kaoru's story with Miranda seems to be pretty popular with some readers, I've decided to expand some more on it in this chapter. Hope that you all enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Five.**

~...~

Haruhi frowned as she placed on a fancy blouse, skirt, and high heel shoes. The entire outfit was extremely flattering; however, uncomfortable. Ranka smiled as Haruhi came out of her room, "Haruhi! You look adorable!" She immediately was pulled into a bear hug, "Dad... please get off..." Ranka reluctantly got off of her, "But you look so adorable in your clothes for work!" Haruhi sighed, "If I had a choice, I would wear something much more convienent." Ranka frowned, "But Haruhi! You should try your best to impress sometimes." Haruhi sighed, "Why?" Ranka smiled, "Because~ you never know who's watching!"

Haruhi finished getting ready for her new job and then headed out the door. While making her way to the train station, she passed a shop with televisions in the windows. Featured on tv was the fashion competition. She stopped briefly and stared, seeing Hikaru's face on screen. Her heart tightened a little as she saw him and remembered what he said the other day_. "It's been painful Haruhi... all these years... I've... I've been crushed by the pain... These feelings of mine that couldn't reach you... they've only gotten stronger. I... I understand if you can't accept my feelings still... but... if...If you would only give me a chance... I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. If I have to do crazy things to make you laugh, I will. I'll never fail to always make you feel that I love you. I'll do anything and everything for you Haruhi... that's because you have filled the emptiness in my heart." _

Once the station stopped focusing on Hikaru, she turned and began to walk towards the train station again. Her heart was pacing and she wasn't really aware why. One thing was for certain though, she knew that she needed to give Hikaru an honest answer the next time she sees him.

~...~

That morning, each competitor was getting interviewed on tv about fashion and what it means to them. Also, what they inspire to accomplish as big star fashion designers. Once the interviewing was done, it was time for the contestants to display their works of art infront of the judges. This round solely was the outfits on the dressforms. Each competitor brought out their work. Everyone ended up designing a dress, which the judges found to be intriguing. For the next hour, they were required to stand next to their dress and answer any and all questions that the judges have for them.

Kaoru's dress was in-between Hikaru's and Miranda's. While Hikaru's dress was getting inspected, he kept glancing over towards Miranda. Several thoughts were winding around in his head... the main one however, remained at: _Why is she avoiding me? _Before he knew it, the judges were infront of him, eyeing the piece and asking multiple questions.

~...~

After a few hours, the judges reappeared infront of the contestants,"Jan-Di, Kaoru, and Miranda... you three will be competing in the next round." Hikaru's eyes widened with surprise. He observed the three dresses that were chosen. Jan-Di's design was rather boring, a simple white tea-dress with flowers on the sides and a pink ribbon to tie it up. Kaoru's was great. It was an elegant Victorian-styled deep red dress with black embellishments. As for Miranda's, it was different. It was a short, frayed strapless dress with several strings attached all over. The color was basically paint splatters. Hikaru couldn't help but find her design intriguing. Kaoru rushed over to Hikaru and placed an arm around him, "I think that the judges have a grudge against you..." Hikaru smirked, "I know. A piece of shit like that Jan-Di's wouldn't ever beat my masterpiece. Besides, mother-dear here told me that I wouldn't make it. I suppose making an enemy of such a powerful person in the fashion industry is a horrible idea; however, I can't help but become more motivated." Kaoru's eyebrow raised, "Mom is blacklisting you?" Hikaru took a few steps away, "I never said that, but it wouldn't suprise me."

~...~

Before leaving the hotel completely, Hikaru stopped by Kaoru's room. He knocked on the door and Kaoru immediately let him in. Hikaru sat down on the bed and sighed, "Kaoru. You should talk to Miranda." Kaoru took a deep breath then let it out, "Hikaru... she's ignoring me." Hikaru stood up and lightly slapped his twin's cheek, "You idiot! Just because she's ignoring you doesn't mean that she can't hear your voice! If you don't attempt to talk to her, nothing's going to change!" Kaoru sighed, "Why does it even matter to you?" Hikaru frowned, "I'm NOT an idiot Kaoru! Don't think that I haven't noticed that her being here is affecting you!" Kaoru looked up at the ceiling, "It's not a big deal..." Hikaru opened the door and on his way out yelled back to Kaoru, "If you don't do something about this, I'll NEVER forgive you!"

~...~

When Hikaru exitted the hotel, several press were surrounding the area, "Mr. Hittacchin how does it feel that your brother has beaten you in the competition!" Hikaru was walking through the masses of press when he turned towards all the cameras and took a small breath, "My brother may have defeated me in this specific competition; but that doesn't mean that I've lost." He began to walk a bit more, the press were asking him questions as to what that meant. When he was about to be off the property, he smirked, "My website is up for orders! My summer line has been released to the public! If you type in XXXDQ, I'll give you a 50% discount!" The press immediately turned away from Hikaru and began to search for the other competitors that had lost. Hikaru smiled to himself, "At least I got my free publicity."

~...~

Kaoru stood dumbstrucked. The last words that Hikaru said really got to him. He was seriously beginning to think that maybe he had become less insightful about things since high school. Throughout university, he met and hung out with Miranda, he took her for granted while he dated Rane. After the breakup with Rane, Miranda was there, but she never really left much of an impression to him. Yet, on that day of Tanabata... things became dark for Kaoru. In that darkness, he heard Miranda's shaking voice, _"I'm going to be heading back to America tomorrow. Before I leave here... I have to tell you the truth. Everything that I did was to help your career. I know that... that it's a strange way to enhance your career but... I... I needed a way to get Seul JanDi out of the spotlight. It was originally your mother's idea. I agreed to it. I know that I didn't have to, but she told me all the benefits that would come out of it."_ Kaoru closed his eyes and sat down on his bed in the hotel room. He remembered everything little detail from that night. _"You're an idiot! You should know the reason by now! It's because I've been in love with you for awhile now!" _He thought hard about his time during university with her. There never was a romantic moment between them... but he couldn't help but remember that one kiss they shared on Tanabata. The kiss that wasn't of love, but of departure. _"Anyways, I'm leaving... The only reason that I came to meet you was solely because I needed to tell you that I'm leaving and that I'll stop bothering you." _Those words hit him hard. Yet, it was the final words that she spoke before leaving that really bothered him... _"You're wrong Kaoru! It's painful this way! When you're in love with someone who will never love you back... it's too painful... I... I need to actually move towards the future now... When I get back to America, these feelings will be engraved in my heart... then, I will do my best to make you a forgotten dream." _Ever since those words were said, she never once left his mind. He couldn't understand why she was so eager to forget him... why she didn't want to be around him anymore. After analyzing and analyzing in his mind, he came to the conclusion that: _women will never make sense._

A knock was heard upon his door and he slowly opened his eyes and walked towards it. He opened the door and saw a small, petite woman there. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, "And you are?" "Sawachika Chii! Your model for the final round!" Kaoru sighed, "Oh... right, nice to meet you." Chii smiled, "It's great to meet you! Let's do our best in this competition!" Kaoru nodded, "Yeah... uhh..." He looked at the dress on the dressform, "Please place this on. We'll see if I need to make adjustments or not." Chii nodded and took the dress into the bathroom, she then came out wearing his design. Kaoru then grabbed several pins from the table and began to fix areas of the dress so that it would flatter his model better.

~...~

The next day Kaoru woke up and met with Chii downstairs. Chii happily smiled towards him, "Good morning!" Kaoru nodded, "Morning... here's the dress. I fixed it, so it should fit you perfectly." Chii nodded and changed into the dress. Kaoru then styled her make-up and hair to his liking. After three hours of preparation time, the contestants were called to the stage to be judged.

Kaoru immediately noticed that Jan-Di was blantantly glaring towards Miranda, yet he wasn't sure why. Miranda, on the other hand, seemed to be ignoring everyone but the judges. He had never seen her act like this before. When the judges left the room to discuss the winner, Kaoru was about to speak when Jan-Di walked over to Miranda and slapped her face.

Miranda held her hand against the slap mark, "What was that for?" Jan-Di raised her voice, "You should know exactly what this is about!" Miranda let out a small breath, "I don't recall ever doing anything to upset you." Jan-Di raised her hand to slap Miranda again, but Kaoru grabbed her hand before she could, "Please stop fighting!" Jan-Di turned towards Kaoru and frowned, "You shouldn't get involved in this! It's between me and her!" Kaoru took a deep breath, "Look... I don't want to get in the middle of a feud; however, there is no reason for you to act in such a violent manner." Jan-Di pulled her arm as hard as possible to get away it out of Kaoru's grip.

Kaoru looked straight at Jan-Di, "What exactly are you two fighting about?" Miranda shrugged her shoulders, while Jan-Di spoke rather quietly, "She stole him..." Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "Stole who?" Jan-Di looked directly at Kaoru with hurt eyes. She pointed towards Mirandam then shouted, "That American Whore stole my fiance!" Kaoru took a deep breath, "Listen... there might had been something small that happened between them, but I can assure you that nothing is going on bet-" Before Kaoru could say anything else, Miranda spoke up, "It's your fault Jan-Di. If you had actually kept your fiance entertained, he never would've gone after me." Kaoru's eyes widened with surprise. He had no clue why Miranda was talking like this.

It was then at that moment that he remembered her words from Tanabata again, _"Everything that I did was to help your career. I know that... that it's a strange way to enhance your career but... I... I needed a way to get Seul JanDi out of the spotlight." _

The judges then came back into the room. Kaoru was too busy in his thoughts to even care that they returned. His main thought being, _Miranda is still messing with Jan-Di so that she loses confidence and ends up screwing up... she's doing everything for me... which means that she's still in love with me afterall..._

The judges then announced the winner of the competition, "The winner of this competition is the American competitor Miranda." Jan-Di immediately glared at Miranda again, while Kaoru was lost in his thoughts.

~...~

Hikaru watched the live broadcast of the competition online. He was greatly surprised that Miranda had beaten Kaoru. At that moment in time, a knock was heard on his door. He stood up and opened up the door, "Eh? Haruhi? Come on in..." Haruhi bowed slightly, then entered his apartment, "Hikaru... I'm sorry that you didn't get far in the competition..." Hikaru went to grab some tea and shook his head, "It's not a big deal. I just needed to be on there for a little bit. Sure, winning the competition would be an automatic success in the industry, but at least I got some publicity. I'm going to keep competiting in competitions until my name becomes huge." Haruhi slightly smiled towards him, "It's great that you're so dedicated." Hikaru sat down next to Haruhi, handing her a cup of tea, "How did you know that I was back in town?" Haruhi took a small sip, "Just a hunch." Hikaru let out a small laugh, "So... Ranka called me and said that you have a new job... how is it going?" Haruhi sighed, "Well... it's alright I guess. It's exactly what I trained to be in school; however... something is off... like, the last semester of school, I seemed to lose all motivation... eh... but nevermind that..." Hikaru nodded, "It's alright for you to not follow in your mother's footsteps. I know that whatever path you decide to go down... your mother will be smiling towards you from heaven." Haruhi flashed Hikaru a smile, "Thanks Hikaru. That means a lot..."

After that, there was a small awkward silence. Hikaru wasn't sure what to say or do and Haruhi was debating how to bring up the topic that was on her mind. Hikaru began to fidget, wondering what he should do, "Uh... Haruhi..."

"Yes?"

"Do you... want some cookies?"

Haruhi shook her head, "No thanks... but uh..." Her face turned bright red, "I... I came here to talk to you about something..."

Hikaru began to tense some. The way that she was acting, he immediately recognized it. It was the same uneasiness that she had the first time that he rejected her. He placed his cup of tea on the saucer on the table. He wanted a way to change the topic... He wanted a way to get out of there. Everything was beginnning to shatter inside of him.

When Haruhi took a deep breath, he felt like he was trapped in an icecube. He couldn't breath, he couldn't move. He could slowly feel his heart begin to shatter.

"Hikaru... I think that... I... I'm going to try it."

Hikaru was confused by that statement, "Try it? You mean... you want a cookie after all?"

Haruhi shook her head quickly, her face bright red with a tinge of embarrassment, "No no! I mean... I... I... you... I... well..."

Hikaru cocked his head to the side in confusion, "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head again. Her heartbeat quickening as she suddenly blurted out, "I want to try dating you!"

Hikaru froze. The words that came from her mouth... brought him into a state of shock. The only thing he could respond with was, "Really?"


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note:** Yay! Two chapters uploaded in one day. I was going to upload 35 yesterday, but unfortunately, my net was again I want to thank everyone who's reading this. :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Six.**

~...~

Yuzuha smiled as she handed Miranda the first place certificate, "Congratulations." Miranda grabbed the certificate and smiled, "Thank you."

After filming of the competition was over, Yuzuha waited until the rest of the judges left to reapproach Miranda, "Long time, no see." Miranda nodded her head, "Yeah... it's been awhile." Yuzuha smiled widely, "How about I treat you out for lunch, in celebration of your win." Miranda slightly nodded. She didn't really want to accept the invitation, but figured that it would be a bad idea if she didn't.

Kaoru and Jan-Di were both standing around at the other side of the room. Jan-Di was constantly glaring towards Miranda. Kaoru sighed, "Could you stop glaring at her?" Jan-Di shook her head, "Absolutely not!" Kaoru shook his head, "You're acting extremely childish... there's no reason for you to glare. Sure, she won the prize, but that just means that next competition you have to work harder for it." Jan-Di shook her head, "I could careless about first place right now!" Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "So you're on about?"

"My ex-fiance! She stole him!"

"Look! He was unfaithful to you! Miranda is NOT the type of girl to just steal someone's man!"

Jan-Di frowned towards Kaoru, "You really don't know her at all, do you?"

Kaoru glared back at Jan-Di, "I know her! I've known her for years! And I know that she's NOT interested in your ex! She's in love with someone else!"

Jan-Di let out a stiffled laugh, "Oh? Who's she in love with then?"

"Me."

Jan-Di laughed out loud, "Nice try. If she was madly in love with you, she wouldn't be blatently ignoring you, now would she?"

That was an immediately blow to Kaoru. Even Jan-Di could tell that Miranda was avoiding him. He clenched his fists, "Look. She's not interested in your ex..."

Before Jan-Di could say anything else, Yuzuha approached Kaoru, "We're going out for lunch now. Let's go."

Jan-Di smirked as she watched Kaoru and Miranda follow Yuzuha.

~...~

The three sat down at a fancy table at an upscale Chinese restaurant. Yuzuha took a sip of wine before speaking, "I'm very proud of your accomplishment Miranda."

"Oh? Uh... thanks."

"In fact, I'm so proud of you that I was hoping that you would join my company as a designer."

Miranda took a sip of her soda, "If you wouldn't mind... could I have some time to think it over?"

Yuzuha nodded, "Of course." She handed Miranda her business card and smiled, "Just so you know, I'm willing to pay you very well for your work."

Kaoru began to drink some of his tea. He wanted to know if Miranda would be working at the company, but he didn't want to listen to business-talk.

Miranda smiled, "May I ask how much you're willing to pay me? Because... there is another company that would like my services as well..."

Yuzuha took a pen and wrote a large amount on a sheet of paper and handed it to her, "This would be the beginning wage. Depending on the growth of my employees determines whether or not one would get a raise."

Miranda's eyes widened seeing the number.

~...~

Haruhi's heartbeat was quickening as she suddenly blurted out, "I want to try dating you!"

Hikaru froze. The words that came from her mouth... brought him into a state of shock. The only thing he could respond with was, "Really?"

Haruhi nodded her head as an affirmative, "I... I did a lot of thinking about it... and... the more that I've thought about it, the more that I realized that I... I like you, Hikaru."

Hikaru's entire face burned. Everything that she was saying felt like a dream. He couldn't even imagine that she would actually confess that she likes him. He wanted it all to be real. So, he ended up pinching himself as hard as he could, "Ouch!"

Haruhi cocked her head, "Why did you do that?"

Hikaru let out a laugh, "Sorry Haruhi... I was thinking that I was dreaming this all up."

Haruhi began to laugh, "Well, it's not a dream."

Hikaru smiled, "I'm glad." He then moved closer to her and pulled her into a hug, "Haruhi... thank you. Today is by far the best day of my life."

Haruhi wrapped her arms around Hikaru and took in his scent. She could feel his heart beating extremely fast. With their arms around each other, she felt a huge amount of comfort. It was refreshing. They remained in each others arms for a few minutes, until Haruhi's stomach rumbled.

Hikaru laughed, "Hungry?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yeah... sorry."

"Oh, it's not a big deal... it only ruined our precious moment."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and laughed/

Hikaru walked into the kitchen, "Is katsudon (pork cutlets in a rice bowl and other things) alright for lunch?"

Haruhi nodded, "Sounds great... do you need help preparing it?"

Hikaru shook his head, "It's alright, I'll cook for you... in the meantime... do you want to pick out a movie to watch?"

"Alright." She looked at the dvds that were placed near the tv in the room. She was having a difficult time picking out a movie, but eventually, she found the first _Gantz_ movie. She took the dvd out and plopped it into the dvd player. Once the menu loaded, she joined Hikaru in the kitchen. She let out a laugh as she noticed him trying his best to avoid hot vegetable oil from getting on him. "Here... let me fry the pork." She grabbed his right arm and gently pulled him closer to her. Hikaru's face turned red as she slowly manuevered her hand to his, then before he knew it, she took the spatula he was holding, "Alright, you can prepare the rice in the bowls. I'll take this part over." Hikaru sighed, "And here I thought that I was going to prepare my girlfriend a meal..." Haruhi laughed, "I appreciate the thought, but maybe my boyfriend should learn how to work with a hot wok and vegetable oil first..." Hikaru fake pouted and Haruhi laughed. Between the two of them, they created two fairly delicious bowls.

They ate their meal, then both climbed on the couch to watch _Gantz_. They shared a single blanket and throughout the movie, Hikaru held an arm around her. He was too fixated on Haruhi to even pay attention to the film. Luckily, he knew the plot inside and out.

~...~

The lunch eventually was served and Kaoru wanted to talk to Miranda; however, he didn't want to speak infront of his mother. He was wondering how he could get her alone. Yet, he did find it quite strange that his mother dragged him along to this meal. It obviously was a strictly business-conversation between the two of them.

In the middle of the meal, Kaoru excused himself to use the restroom. Once Kaoru was gone, Miranda took this moment to ask Yuzuha a few other questions, "You claim that I'll be working as a designer... you're not planning on using me for any other tasks, are you?" Yuzuha bit the bottom of her lip and frowned, "In all honesty, I wouldn't. I already had you do the menial task that I needed accomplished. Besides, don't think that I don't know about the proposal."

Miranda's eyes widened with surprise, "How did you find out?" Yuzuha smirked, "When you know people, who know people, it's really easy to gain information. That's the wonderful thing about networking. Now Miranda... the real question is, are you going to accept his proposal?" Miranda let out a sigh, "I was seriously contemplating it...but-" Before she could say another word, a man ran into the dining room screaming, "SOMEONE! HELP! THERE'S A MAN WHO'S BEEN BEATEN UP!" The workers at the restaurant started to either calm the guests down, while others went to check out the situation. Before Yuzuha and Miranda realized it, Kaoru was being taken out on a stretcher.

Yuzuha was pissed and immediately began to scan the restaurant for potential threats, while Miranda's entire body was shaking with fear. The sight of Kaoru being unconcious and covered in blood and bruises literally made Miranda sick to her stomach.

~...~

After the movie, Haruhi ended up falling asleep in Hikaru's arms. He happily pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead, "I love you Haruhi." He was beyond comfortable and began to fall asleep himself when he phone suddenly went off. He grungingly picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hey, Hikaru?"

He was surprised to hear Miranda's voice on the phone, "Miranda? What's up?"

"It's Kaoru! Someone beat him up! He's in the hospital! You have to come over!"

Hikaru dropped his phone, his eyes wide open in fear. The sound of the phone hitting the floor startled Haruhi from her sleep. She immediately sat up and looked at Hikaru, "Hikaru, what's wrong?" Hikaru immediately jumped off the couch, "We have to head out now!"

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, "What's going on?"

Hikaru picked up the phone, "Which hospital?" Miranda gave him the address and Hikaru hung up the phone and grabbed Haruhi's hand, "Kaoru's in the hospital." With that said, Hikaru and Haruhi ran from Hikaru's apartment to the trainstation, never once letting go of each other's hands.


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: **Once again I want to thank everyone who's reading this. :) Also, I apologize if the medical stuff is inaccurate... I majored in Japanese, not nursing.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Seven.**

~...~

Hikaru stood still infront of the hospital, afraid to even take a step inside. Haruhi's hand was still entwined with his. She could feel his grip loosening and noticed a cold sweat beginning to drop down his face. Haruhi slightly tightened her grip on his hand and looked up at him, "Hikaru, Kaoru will be fine. Let's go visit him." Hikaru slowly nodded towards Haruhi. He couldn't help but admire her ability to read him like a book. Haruhi then began to walk forward, leading Hikaru into the hospital.

~...~

Miranda was sitting beside Kaoru's bed, watching over him. When the door to the room opened, Miranda immediately had her attention towards the door. Haruhi and Hikaru walked inside and Miranda relaxed a little. Hikaru rushed over to Kaoru's side, "Kaoru!" Miranda placed a finger over her lips, "Shh, a little quieter Hikaru... he's resting right now." Haruhi pulled two chairs over to the opposite side of the bed from where Miranda was, "Hikaru... let's watch over him." Hikaru sat down and grabbed his brother's left hand, bringing it up to his face, "Kaoru..."

Haruhi looked at Kaoru's body and noticed several cuts and multiple bruises. Luckily, the cuts were cleaned... otherwise the picture would be quite gruesome. Haruhi looked over at Miranda, who seemed to be incredibly worried, "Miranda... do you know what exactly happened?" Miranda began to speak, never once having her eyes leave Kaoru's body, "We were at a restaurant... Kaoru, His Mother, and I..."

Hikaru was listening intently to every word coming out of Miranda's mouth.

"... after he left for the restroom... suddenly... a man began to scream that someone's been attacked... before I could realize the entire situation... Kaoru was being carried out on a stretcher..."

_Several Hours Earlier..._

One of the doctors yelled out, "Are there any relatives of this man?" Miranda looked up at Yuzuha, "Aren't you going to say anything?" Yuzuha ignored Miranda's comment and continued to talk on the phone, "I'll be about thirty minutes late to the photoshoot... I apologize, but some inconvience has happened at the restaurant that I'm at." Miranda overheard every word and snatched the phone from Yuzuha, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? THAT'S YOUR SON! YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT BEING LATE TO SOME PHOTOSHOOT!" Yuzuha immediately grabbed the phone from Miranda, "Sorry but, I'll call you back shortly." Yuzuha hung up the phone, then glared at Miranda, "People who don't understand the seriousness of huge corporations shouldn't get involved." Miranda cocked her head to the side, "Huge corporation or not... don't you care about your son?" Yuzuha placed her head in her hands, "Of course I do... but I'm at a position where I can't do anything about it... I'll call up one of the maids to check on him later." Miranda clenched her fists together and then yelled out, "A MAID? YOU SERIOUSLY ARE GOING TO JUST SEND A RANDOM MAID?" Yuzuha rolled her eyes, "Look. Kaoru would expect that. He's used to getting watched by and picked up by the maids. It's not a big deal... any rich family knows that." Miranda wasn't getting the whole picture.

"Are there any family members present?" the man yelled out once again. Yuzuha turned away from the scene and Miranda pushed through the crowds of people to the front, "I... I AM!" The man looked at her with confusion, "I do believe that you're confused..." Miranda quickly grabbed a ring from her pocket and placed it on her ring finger, "I'm not exactly related yet... he's my fiance..." The man wasn't willing to argue at the given time, since medical treatment was of the most importance, so he allowed Miranda on the ambulence.

Miranda sat in the ambulence and watched as several doctors began to clean up Kaoru's wounds. After the wounds were cleaned one of the doctors smiled towards Miranda, "He's going to be just fine. It's quite possible that he might have broken bones though... we'll check that when we get into the hospital." A sigh of relief came over Miranda and she turned her attention towards Kaoru. She wanted to grab his hand, but in the off-chance that it was broken, she didn't. Instead she looked at him. Kaoru glanced over at Miranda, a small smile playing up his features. He let out a small laugh, "I wanted to talk to you alone." Miranda sat their in silence, not sure what to say. Kaoru then took his right hand and grabbed Miranda's left hand. He observed her ring finger, which had a large Heart-Shaped Tiffany's diamond ring on it. He looked up into her eyes sincerely, "Miranda... who gave you this?" She looked away from him, at one of the doctors.

The doctor who asked about family members earlier eyed Kaoru suspiciously, then looked at Miranda, "It seems that we'll have to check his head too... a huge hit to the head could possibly cause amnesia... on the plus side, it seems that he still remembers you." Kaoru had a thououghly confused look on his face as he looked from the doctor to Miranda, "Uh... Miranda? What's he talking about?" Miranda scratched the back of her head, then looked at Kaoru stupidly, "Don't you remember? You proposed to me." Kaoru blinked his eyes several times in a second, "WHAT? I didn't do any such thing!"

The doctor frowned, "It must be amnesia!" Miranda sweatdropped. She couldn't help but giggle inside at Kaoru's completely confused look.

Once they made it to the hospital, Miranda was told to wait in the waiting room for a bit. She grabbed some tea from a vending machine, then sat down in a chair, drank her tea and looked at her phone. She was about to dial Hikaru's number when a nurse quickly began to yell to a doctor, "He has internal bleeding! We need to start working on him right away!" Miranda turned to see Kaoru being brought out of one room to being wheeled quickly to another room. Her heart dropped seeing him in that state.

She was beyond panicking and quickly grabbed her phone and called Hikaru. There wasn't a single time that she was calm on the phone. She was shaking and feeling nauceous. All she wanted was to know how Kaoru was... she wanted to know if he was going to be alright.

After an hour of waiting, a nurse came to Miranda and smiled, "He's resting right now, but you're free to sit in the room with him. The internal bleeding has stopped. He will be okay; yet, we do still need to run more tests on him later on." A huge sigh of relief escaped her and she entered his room. She glanced over his body and sat down next to him, "I'm so glad that you're ok." She began to run her fingers through his hair.

~...~

Miranda took a deep breath, she didn't want to explain all the details that happened earlier, so she finished the story with, "After he was on the stretcher, I entered the ambulence and came to the hospital with him. There was a period of time that he had internal bleeding, but they solved that quickly. He's been resting ever since." Hikaru let out a sigh of relief to hear that nothing huge is wrong with his twin. Haruhi, on the other hand, had more on her mind, "Miranda... you said that his Mother was there, right?" Miranda nodded in agreement. Haruhi continued, "Why isn't she here?" Before Miranda could even start to respond Hikaru had a dark look on his face. He then turned towards Haruhi with a stressed/hurt expression, "Mom and Dad never come... they're always too busy dealing with work to even give a damn about us. Sure, when you've come to the house Haruhi, they act all fun and exciting... but in all actuality, there probably aren't colder parents than ours..." Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure that they have their reasons..." Hikaru shook his head in disagreement, "They really don't care about us. That's why it's always just been me and Kaoru. No one else had been a part of our world... no one until you came into our lives..."

Miranda noticed something different between Hikaru and Haruhi since the last time that she saw them. She smiled knowingly to herself, "Say... are you two thirsty?" Haruhi nodded, "A bit..." Miranda then stood up and clapped her hands together, "Then, I'll go get some drinks. You two stay here and watch Kaoru." With that said, Miranda walked out of the room.

~...~

Hikaru looked at Haruhi and Haruhi looked back at Hikaru. "Umm... now what?" Hikaru asked, not really sure what he should do. Haruhi thought for a moment, "Uhh... we could..." She looked around the room to hopefully find something interesting, but failed, "I guess watch tv?" Hikaru nodded, "Of course! TV!" He grabbed the remote and right when he was about to turn it on, he placed it back down, "We probably shouldn't watch tv right now Haruhi... don't want to wake up Kaoru..." "Oh right..."

The two of them then sat in complete silence. They weren't sure what they should do. Miranda walked back in the room and immediately noticed the awkward silence. She handed over the drinks and giggled, "Are you two dating or something?" Hikaru and Haruhi both jumped back.

Kaoru then laughed aloud, "Hikaru! Is it true?" Hikaru and Haruhi both were startled by Kaoru's sudden voice. Miranda immediately rushed to his side, "Kaoru! You're awake!" Kaoru turned towards Miranda, then turned back to Hikaru, "So... have you two kissed yet?"

Hikaru and Haruhi both turned bright red. Kaoru sighed, "I'm disappointed Hikaru... you finally start dating Haruhi and you haven't even kissed her yet..."

Hikaru gawked, "I... I was waiting for the right time!"

Haruhi walked closer to Kaoru and looked at him, "You are perfectly fine... and here we left in the middle of our date because we thought you were dying or something."

Kaoru sighed, "Gee, I didn't realize how cold you were Haruhi."

Haruhi rolled her eyes, then smiled, "I'm glad that you're doing well Kaoru."

Hikaru immediately pulled his brother into a hug, "Don't EVER worry me like that again!"

Kaoru laughed, "Ok ok..."

Miranda took a few steps away, still observing, but not sure if she should still be there or not.

Haruhi took this time to speak up, "Kaoru, do you know who beat you up?"

Kaoru nodded his head in agreement, "I do."


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: **Just a heads up to everyone - I might be a bit slower with my updates due to work-related stuff. Thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Eight.**

~...~

Haruhi took this time to speak up, "Kaoru, do you know who beat you up?"

Kaoru nodded his head in agreement, "I do."

Hikaru stared at Kaoru, eager to hear who beat up his brother, "Who did this to you?"

Kaoru took a deep breath and let it out, "I'll tell you later... right now, I need to have a word with Miranda."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, then smirked, "Are you two dating?"

Kaoru shook his head at the same time as Miranda.

Haruhi grabbed Hikaru's arm and began to pull him out of the room, "We'll wait in the waiting room... so when Kaoru's ready, Miranda, please get us."

~...~

Hikaru frowned in the waiting room, "Why'd you bring me out of there before I could tease them more?"

Haruhi took a small breath, "I think that something huge is going on between them..."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Like?"

Haruhi took a sip of a canned juice, "Well... there was a huge heart-shaped diamond ring on Miranda's ring finger..."

Hikaru shrugged, "So?"

Haruhi sighed, "Her left-handed ring finger."

A lightbulb went off in Hikaru's mind, "You mean they're engaged?"

Haruhi slightly nodded, "I'm not sure but... why else would she have that ring?"

Hikaru frowned, "I'm upset... Kaoru didn't even mention that he was going to propose..."

Haruhi shook her head, "I guess he wanted to surprise everyone?"

Hikaru stared at his empty juice can, "That's not like Kaoru though..."

~...~

Miranda sat down next to Kaoru's hospital bed, "You want to talk?"

Kaoru nodded, "We have to talk."

Miranda sighed, "I already explained everything at Tanabata..."

Kaoru frowned, "It's not about that. It's about the ring."

Miranda was confused, "What ring?" She completely forgot that she never took it off her ring finger.

Kaoru sighed, "The engagement ring. I know that I never proposed to you... so who did?"

Miranda took the ring off of her finger, "About this... it's from Daigo."

"Who the hell is Daigo?"

"The Prime Minister's Son..."

Kaoru looked away from her and sighed, "So you're going to marry him?"

Miranda sighed, "In all honesty... I don't know."

Kaoru frowned, still looking away from her, "He's not good for you."

Miranda bit the bottom of her lip, "What makes you say that? He's got money, status, and power. If I married him, I would live a very comfortable life."

Kaoru clenched his fists, "FINE! Marry him then! I didn't realize that all you cared about was living a comfortable life!"

Miranda grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her, "If that's what you really think... you're an IDIOT! You have no clue WHY I'm wearing this ring!"

Kaoru had a blank stare towards her, "I don't care Miranda... we're friends... who you marry really is none of my business."

Miranda let go of him and turned away, "You're right. It really is none of your business... Good bye!" She immediately stormed out of the room, holding back any and all tears. She came into the waiting room and walked over to Haruhi and Hikaru, "I'm heading out. Bye."

~...~

Hikaru and Haruhi looked at each other, then realized that Miranda left incredibly fast. Haruhi stood up, "I'm concerned about her Hikaru."

Hikaru nodded, "She's acting strange."

"Well, let's go back to Kaoru."

~...~

Kaoru was sitting up in the bed with his hands on both sides of his head. He didn't realize that Haruhi and Hikaru had entered the room until Hikaru spoke up, "Kaoru, you alright?"

Kaoru moved his hands and smiled towards his brother, "Yeah. I was going to tell you who attacked me..."

Haruhi exchanged glances with Hikaru, but didn't say anything.

"So, I was sick and tired of listening to Mother and Miranda talking about the company... Mother is trying to get her to become part of the company... I know that she won't agree... mainly because-" Kaoru shook his head, "Anyways, getting back on track... as I was saying, I was sick of listening to the conversation, so I decided to leave the table..."

_Several Hours Earlier..._

Kaoru walked to the bathroom. Once inside, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Followed by splashing his face with water. He grabbed a small towel and wiped his face, "I really need to talk to her..." He shook his head, "No... I need to make sure that she doesn't work for the company again..." Kaoru sighed, "I'm really an idiot right now... what's wrong with me?"

Kaoru decided to leave the bathroom and head back to the table, but a familiar face approached him, smirking. Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "You're the guy-" Before he could finish saying anything else, the man punched him hard in the stomach, which made Kaoru cringe over, "What are-" The man then began to kick him constantly until he was unconcious. Once Kaoru was unconcious, he walked into the bathroom and placed on a fake beard, glasses, and a hat. Another man was walking out of the bathroom when he did too. The other man then panicked, "WHAT HAPPENED? IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S BEEN BEATEN UP!" The man who beat up Kaoru quickly rushed out of the restaurant. No one noticed him leaving quickly.

~...~

Kaoru sighed, "It was the Prime Minister's Son... he beat me up; however, I don't have any proof." Hikaru clenched his fists together and his face turned red with anger, "I'll KILL that bastard!" Kaoru shook his head, "It's not worth it Hikaru..."

Haruhi began to rub Hikaru's back, "Calm down Hikaru. We're lucky that Kaoru's alright." Hikaru frowned, "BUT HE DID THIS TO KAORU! I CAN'T CALM DOWN!" Haruhi continued to rub his back, "I'm sure that his karma will catch up to him, but for now, let's be happy that Kaoru's fine." Hikaru began to calm down a bit, "Why did he attack you Kaoru?"

Kaoru took a deep breath, "I honestly have no clue."

Haruhi then spoke up, "Does Miranda know?"

Kaoru looked down at the bed and shook his head, "She doesn't."

Hikaru frowned more and Haruhi spoke again, "Why not?"

Kaoru looked towards the door and sighed, "I couldn't let her know... not when she's going to marry that man..."

Hikaru slammed his fist on a table and Haruhi's eyes widened with shock, "She's WHAT?" Kaoru let out another breath, "I just told you two... she's going to marry the Prime Minister's Son."


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note: **I can't sleep... therefore another chapter earlier than expected. Thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Thirty-Nine.**

~...~

A nurse entered the room and smiled, "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are ending now. You're free to come back and visit tomorrow. Visiting hours are from 11:00 til 20:00, unless we're busy working on the patient." Hikaru twitched with the nurse's commentary, but Haruhi grabbed his arm and politely bowed, "Thank you. We'll be on our way out now." She turned towards Kaoru and smiled, "See you tomorrow Kaoru." Hikaru let out a sigh, "See ya."

~...~

Haruhi and Hikaru walked to the train station and silently waited for a train. Both of them had the most recent conversation with Kaoru on their minds. While waiting, Hikaru turned towards Haruhi, "Let's continue our date." Haruhi slightly blushed and nodded, "Ok." Hikaru's bothered expression disappeared and a genuine smile appeared on his face, "Any requests for food?" Haruhi thought for a moment, "How about we pick up some onigiri?" Hikaru nodded. He quickly rushed to a store inside the trainstation and picked up a bunch of onigiri. Once he arrived back, Haruhi smiled, "We can finish watching that movie too." Hikaru nodded, "Right... it was_ Gantz_, right?" Haruhi nodded, "Right. It's a really interesting movie." Hikaru smiled, "It really is a good film." As the train approached, Hikaru grabbed Haruhi's hand. He led her inside the train, which was surprisingly packed. He was surprised that so many people were on such a late train, but shrugged it off.

Hikaru frowned seeing so many people on the train. He muttered under his breath, "Assholes... it's not rush hour, so they shouldn't be here..." He watched Haruhi, frowning even more noticing that she had to stand in-between two really ugly guys. Since he was behind her, he decided to take a deep breath and figured that he would hold onto her waist so that she didn't get lost in the rush of people. Haruhi was a bit surprised with the sudden gesture. The train ended up moving a bit rough, which caused one of the "ugly" guys to ram right into Haruhi and Hikaru. Hikaru was about to yell towards the man, but decided not to cause a scene. Instead, he pulled Haruhi closer to him and whispered, "Just hold onto me... I won't let that happen again... nor will I allow you to fall." Haruhi blushed slightly at the words.

Once they arrived at the stop, they got off and walked to Hikaru's apartment. When they got inside, Hikaru went to the kitchen and placed the onigiri on a fancy plate. He also made some tea for the both of them. Once completed, he brought the food and tea out on a tray. They then went back to watching_ Gantz_. Or, more like Haruhi was watching the movie, while Hikaru was busy analyzing her. He couldn't help but enjoy every small movement of hers. After they were done eating, he pulled her closer to him. Hikaru's heart was beating rapidly and he was pretty positive that Haruhi could feel it. Yet, he couldn't help but enjoy every minute. He was nervous about the date, but he couldn't be happier. If time could freeze, Hikaru would love this moment to be frozen forever.

Without realizing it, the movie ended and Haruhi looked up at Hikaru, "That was a good movie." He glanced at the tv and saw the credits rolling, "Ah... yeah, it was." Haruhi let out a small laugh, "But it's a shame that it's to be continued..." Hikaru nodded in shame, "Yeah... I have yet to buy the second one." Haruhi smiled, "It's alright. We can find and watch it on our next date."

Hikaru smiled. The fact that Haruhi brought up the mention of another date meant that he was doing something right. He inwardly celebrated. Haruhi took a sip of tea, then looked at Hikaru seriously, "Now... let's talk about Kaoru and Miranda."

Hikaru sighed. He really didn't want to be reminded of them. He was solely enjoying their date without mention of anyone else. Yet, he knew that it was incredibly important for them to key in on what's going on. Especially since Kaoru was injured. Haruhi spoke up, "I know that there was a ring, but I find it very unlikely that Miranda is engaged to the Prime Minister's Son. I might not know her all that well, but I've gotten the impression that she wouldn't be into someone like that." Hikaru nodded, "It makes no sense to me; however, Kaoru seems extremely bothered by it. I think that Kaoru's in love with her. He's just too stubborn to figure it out himself."

"You really think so?"

Hikaru cocked his head to the side, "Do you think otherwise?"

Haruhi thought for a moment, "Way back when... in high school... Kaoru confessed to me... but then he mentioned that you were more important. I was rather confused. But... I would assume that he would know if he's in love with someone or not."

Hikaru ran a hand through his hair, "One would think that; however, if Kaoru really is my twin, he would happen to have some of the same tendencies as me... therefore, it will take him a long time to realize that he's in love with someone."

Haruhi was a bit confused, but figured that Hikaru knew exactly what he was talking about. Hikaru then spoke again, "The real problem is the fact that the Prime Minister's son attacked Kaoru. We need to find out why he would do that." Haruhi nodded, "I don't see any benefit for him to attack Kaoru. It makes no sense."

"That is... unless someone bribed him."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "Someone in the fashion industry... to attack your Mother's company..."

Hikaru nodded, "Precisely. There's no other reason for that man to attack Kaoru."

Haruhi thought again, "But... the question is... what kind of bribe did he get? I mean... it would be really strange for him to want money... considering that his family has more than enough."

~...~

Hikaru glanced at the clock, "Haruhi... call your father."

"Eh? Why?"

"It's really late. Tell him that you're staying over here."

Haruhi's eyes widened, "There's no way that he'll be ok with me staying over my boyfriend's house!"

Hikaru smiled hearing the word 'boyfriend' come from her mouth, "I'm sure that he'll be ok with it."

"But if I call... he'll be working..."

Hikaru shook his head, "He's not working tonight. He switched shifts with Masao-chan..."

Haruhi nodded, "Ok... I'll tell him."

~...~

When Haruhi got off the phone with Ranka, she slumped down onto the couch. Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Everything ok?" Haruhi nodded, "I'm... confused."

"Why's that?"

"Dad... he was rejoicing over the phone... told me that even if I wanted to come home tonight that he wouldn't allow it..."

Hikaru laughed aloud, "I'm going to have to thank him later!"

Haruhi looked up at Hikaru, "Eh?"

Hikaru turned bright red, "It's... nothing... uhh... let me make the bed for you."

Haruhi shook her head, "You don't have to set the bed for me... I can take the sofa."

Hikaru frowned, "There is no way in hell that I would ever have my girlfriend sleep on the sofa. You will sleep in the bed."

Haruhi let out a laugh at his demanding tone, "Ok Dad."

Hikaru laughed, "Oi~" He then made the bed and smiled, "Good night, Haruhi."

Haruhi took a few steps towards Hikaru and pulled him into a hug, "Good night."

Once they separated the hug, they both gazed into each other's eyes. At that moment in time, Hikaru remembered Kaoru's comment from earlier at the hospital: _So... have you two kissed yet? I'm disappointed Hikaru... you finally start dating Haruhi and you haven't even kissed her yet..._

Hikaru took a step closer to Haruhi, looking straight into her eyes. His heart began to thump loudly. After a small gulp, he moved even closer to her, their lips centimeters from each other. Sweat began to drip down his face from nervousness. Haruhi's face flushed and her breathing quickened a bit.

Hikaru then let out a small breath and in a whisper, "Sweet Dreams Haruhi. I'll see you in the morning." He backed away and walked over to the sofa, where he laid down.

Haruhi stood still for a moment then smiled, "Good night Hikaru." She then crawled into this bed.

~...~

Hikaru wanted to fall asleep, but his mind was full of thoughts of Haruhi. He began to kick himself for not kissing her. He didn't know why he stopped himself from doing it. She wasn't pulling back at all. All the signs for him to kiss her was right. Hikaru let out a large breath, "I guess... I'm either a gentleman... or an idiot."

~...~

Haruhi, on the other hand, smiled as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note: **Well, maybe my updates won't be as slow as I thought. lol. I've been very motivated suddenly. (Maybe I just want to not think about my job... lol) Sometimes it's a good thing that I can't fall asleep. As always hanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty.**

~...~

It became four in the morning and Hikaru still couldn't fall asleep. So, he decided to give up and walk into another room. There, he grabbed a large sheet of paper and a pencil. He then began to sketch out a shirt and skirt pattern. Once he made the pattern, he decided to pick out a floral printed fabric. He then spent the next few hours working on his new creation. A simple, yet cute, summer shirt and skirt outfit.

An hour later, a knock came from the front door. So, he quietly walked over to the door and opened it, only to find Kaoru standing there, "Eh? Kaoru... why are you here?" Kaoru walked inside the apartment and sat down on the sofa, "Hikaru... they said that I was ok to leave." Hikaru nodded, "Want some tea?" He smiled, "Thanks." Hikaru went to the kitchen and grabbed a hot cup of tea and handed it over to Kaoru, "So... why did you come here instead of home?"

Kaoru looked in his teacup and sighed, "I don't want to go home." Hikaru laughed, "Obviously, but why?" Kaoru took a sip and smiled, "I guess that you could say that I don't want to see Mom." Hikaru nodded, "I understand that feeling; however, what the hell is Mom doing now?"

"Hikaru... can I live with you?"

Hikaru's eyes widened with this question, "Eh? Are you serious? How come?"

Kaoru stared at a wall, "One, I miss living with you. Two, I'm sick of being under the rules of Mom and Dad... even though I'm more than old enough to fend for myself. And Three... I'm going to resign from the company."

"WHAT?" Hikaru dropped his tea with the last mention, shattering the mug on the floor. He quickly began to pick up the broken pieces. Kaoru let out a sigh, "Sorry to surprise you... but... I'm done with the fashion industry."

Hikaru frowned, "I need answers Kaoru."

~...~

At that point in time, Haruhi wandered into the other room, "Hikaru? Are you alright? I heard a loud noise..." She was half-asleep, rubbing her eyes.

Kaoru smirked towards his brother and Hikaru turned bright red, "E-e-everything's fine Haruhi... I just dropped my tea, that's all."

She nodded, "Ok." Then blinked three times, "Eh? Kaoru? What are you doing here?"

Kaoru laughed, "Don't worry about it now Haruhi. Just go back to sleep."

Haruhi nodded, "Ok... good night..." She wasn't really awake to begin with, so being told to go back to sleep was the best thing for her.

~...~

Once Haruhi was back in Hikaru's room, Kaoru smirked, "So... you have the girlfriend over." Hikaru shrugged, "So?" Kaoru laughed, "How far have you two gotten?" Hikaru's face was volcano-red, "Shut it Kaoru." Kaoru smirked, "I'm just concerned about my brother. I just want to make sure that everything's fine."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, "I know what you're up to. Anyways, I need answers now."

Kaoru sighed, "Alright. I just lack the inspiration of taking over that company. I have no intentions of taking it over. Sure, the money is great, but it takes a really motivated, creative individual to keep creating good enough patterns for new fashion." Hikaru nodded, "Yeah, but you are creative." Kaoru shook his head, "I'm lacking spirit. I'm lacking love of creating clothes. Something is wrong with me lately and I can't place my finger on it."

Hikaru sighed, "This has to do with Miranda, doesn't it?"

Kaoru shook his head, "It has to do with me. A single girl can't destroy my creativity. I miss the college days. I miss being able to collaborate with you. I think that if I worked with you Hikaru... then my creativity would be back. I finally understand what you meant when you said that you wanted to surpass Mom's company... I want that too... and I think that we should make it a collaborative effort."

Hikaru smirked, "Well... it's about damn time that you've come to your senses."

Kaoru smiled towards his brother, "So, I can stay here and work with you?"

Hikaru placed a single finger in the air, "On one condition."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "Which is?"

"You quit Mom's company today."

Kaoru nodded, "Not a problem. I have to head over there to put in my resignation letter anyways."

Hikaru nodded, "Good, good."

~...~

A few hours later, Haruhi officially woke up and wandered out of Hikaru's room. Kaoru had already left the flat, so she only saw Hikaru. Hikaru smiled towards Haruhi as she entered the living room, "Good morning. Sleep well?"

Haruhi nodded, "Yeah. I slept fairly well."

Hikaru smiled as he grabbed two plates with a western breakfast on them, "I made breakfast for us. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, Canadian bacon, biscuits, and orange juice."

Haruhi let out a small laugh and sat down next to him, "So, what's the occasion?"

"Kaoru's been released from the hospital."

Haruhi smiled, "That's wonderful news! You know... I had this strange dream that you broke a mug and Kaoru was here..."

Hikaru laughed, "That actually wasn't a dream. He was here. He'll be back soon too... it's just that right now, he's got something to take care of."

~...~

Kaoru walked into the company building and immediately entered his mother's office. Once inside, he froze up.

Yuzuha stood up and stared at her son, "Ah, Kaoru... glad that you're here. I would like to inform you that Miranda here has just agreed to be a designer at our company." Kaoru looked straight at Miranda, then over to Yuzuha. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Yuzuha smiled, "Of course, I expect you two to work close together daily. I'm counting on the both of you to make this company the best."

Kaoru took a deep breath. The fact that Miranda agreed irritated him, as well as made it so much harder for him to say what he needed to. He took a few breaths in and out, then finally ignored Miranda's presence. He slammed a letter on his mother's desk, "I QUIT!"

Yuzuha grabbed the letter and opened it up. She then laughed aloud, "A letter of resignation? Are you serious?"

Kaoru nodded, "Dead serious Mother. I'm sick and tired of working for you!"

Yuzuha tore the sheet of paper infront of him, "I'm VERY disappointed in you Kaoru."

Kaoru turned away from her, "I don't care. I'm moving out of the house today too. I'm going to live a life of my own... a life where I'm not controlled."

Yuzuha rolled her eyes, "I highly doubt that you'll live a life half as comfortable as what I've provided you with."

Kaoru bit his bottom lip and stormed out of the office.

Yuzuha laughed and looked towards Miranda, "Please ignore him... he'll be back before we all know it."

Miranda just nodded, "Well... I'll see you tomorrow then..." Yuzuha smiled, "Of course. Your real work begins tomorrow."

~...~

Miranda rushed after Kaoru. She noticed him head into the elevator, and she surprisingly made it inside before the doors closed.

Kaoru stared at the buttons in the elevator, while Miranda looked at him, "Why'd you do that? And when did you get better?"

Kaoru looked over at Miranda and frowned, "Still wearing that ugly ring?"

Miranda bit the inside of her cheek, "I asked you questions first!"

Kaoru sighed, "I quit because I wanted to. And I was released from the hospital this morning. It's not like I had broken bones or anything."

Miranda had a relieved look on her face, "I'm glad to hear that you're fine... but why did you quit?"

"I already told you that. Are you or aren't you marrying that guy?"

Miranda glanced away from Kaoru, "I'm marrying him."

Kaoru ran a hand through his hair, "I... see..."

She watched his expression, "Do you have something against him?"

Kaoru shook his head, "No... nothing. Good luck with your marriage." With that said, he exitted the elevator and began to head home to grab his stuff.

~...~

Miranda's phone rang and she picked it up, "Hello?"

"Miranda... I need you to know something."

"Haruhi? Is that you?"

Haruhi nodded her head, "It is... can you come over to Hikaru's place?"

Miranda thought for a moment, "Yeah... I'll come over."

With that said, she hung up the phone and began to head over to Hikaru's.

~...~

Once she made it to Hikaru's apartment, Haruhi and Hikaru sat down at the ktichen table with her. Hikaru then spoke up, "Look... I don't know if you're aware or not, but that Prime Minister's Son is bad news." Miranda shook her head, "Daigo really isn't bad news... I promise." Haruhi sighed, "I'm sorry Miranda, but the one who beat up Kaoru is Daigo-san..."

Miranda's eyes widened with shock, "But why would-" She shook her head, "Please... don't tell me this..." Hikaru frowned, "You don't want to know, because you're marrying him, right?" Miranda nodded, "How did you know?" Haruhi let out a kind smile, "We narrowed down who the ring was from..."

"Oh..."

Haruhi continued, "In any case, isn't it a bit fast to think about marriage? You two really don't know each other."

Miranda looked down at the tablecloth, "It's fast... and you're right, I don't really know him but..."

Little did anyone know that Kaoru entered the apartment at this time.

"But, I'm carrying his child. That's why I have to marry him."

Kaoru was in a state of shock as he dropped his bags full of stuff on the floor. Everyone turned towards the door and saw Kaoru.

Miranda stood up and was about to run off, when Hikaru grabbed her arm, "Don't leave Miranda."

Miranda's eyes began to tear up, "Sorry... but... I can't... I can't stay here much longer..."

Kaoru approached Miranda and pulled her into a hug, "Miranda... I'm sorry."

Haruhi gave a look towards Hikaru, telling him that it would be best for them to leave the room. He nodded and joined her in his bedroom. As Hikaru and Haruhi sat down on the bed, Haruhi let out a huge sigh, "I didn't see that one coming." Hikaru nodded, "Same."


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note: ** Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but most times, the italicized text are thoughts. As always thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty-One.**

~...~

"Hey Hikaru..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that they're alright?"

Hikaru and Haruhi were sitting on his bed, holding each other's hands. Hikaru smiled towards Haruhi, "It will be ok. As long as Kaoru can get everything out... I think that he knows his answers now... so he should be able to say whatever it is with confidence."

Haruhi nodded, "I guess you're right... I'm just concerned... especially since Miranda's pregnant."

Hikaru sighed, "I'm not thrilled about that either. I heard all the rumors about her and the Prime Minister's son... but... I never once thought that it would be true."

~...~

_What is right? What is wrong? _Kaoru pondered these questions in his head while he held onto Miranda. He didn't know any other way to react. The second that he heard she was pregnant, something inside him stung. He was angry... he wanted her out of his sight; however, the second that she decided to leave, his body reacted before he could even think. He pulled her into a hug and apologized to her.

"It will be ok, Miranda." He held her there, for over a half-hour, he just held onto her, listening to her sobs and feeling his shirt get wet with tears. Kaoru couldn't do anything until she calmed down, and by the looks of it, that didn't seem to be the case of happening anytime soon. Of course, this just led his thoughts to wonder.

_Miranda's pregnant. She's pregnant with that idiot's baby... I can't stand the thought of her being pregant. I can't stand the thought that she's marrying that moron. Yet, I do think that everything she's doing is wrong... but... Is it? I can't tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong... therefore, before I knew it, I held her and told her that it will be ok. Those words that I spoke... certainly began to erase myself. Those words which can cause me to feel as if something's changing... I'm the most afraid of them... What is it that I want from Miranda? _

Miranda finally stopped crying and sat down on the sofa in the living room. Kaoru didn't move from the spot that he was holding her in his arms. He just stood there. Miranda didn't dare look at him. She stared at the blank white wall and sighed, "Lately... even though I'm engaged... even though a life is growing inside of me... I feel so... lonely."

Kaoru turned his full attention to her. At that moment, he wanted to prove himself in someway. He wanted to yell something like _I'm here!_, yet... he couldn't bring himself to do something like that. He felt powerless. As if anything he did wouldn't be enough. He slightly smirked to himself, thinking _If I was to say that... I wonder what would happen... the thing is that I'm not that weak... but I'm really not that strong either... _

He took a deep breath and sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's ok to cry Miranda... You shouldn't be embarrassed to cry more. It's best to let it all out..." Miranda finally turned towards him and with watery eyes, gave him a small smile, "You do know that that advice you gave me... that it works for you too." Kaoru stiffled a laugh, "Real men don't cry." Miranda rolled her eyes.

"You do realize Kaoru... that the way to becoming an adult is to go through many different trials."

Kaoru sighed, "Yeah, I know. It's a sick game that we're forced to play... crying, seeking out something or someone, falling, and crying again..."

Miranda nodded, "That's why I've made my decision."

Kaoru was completely silent for a few minutes. He thought about everything he had between him and Miranda. It was never romantic, yet, the more that he thought about it, he began to ponder why it never became that sort of relationship. She was always there for him, always waiting for him. She was the girl that was there after his huge breakup... _In the end... I guess that I was afaid of getting hurt... But this fear that I have now... the words that she's going to speak soon... her decision... is it possible that I'm afraid of becoming alone now? If Hikaru was single still, I wouldn't have a problem... but the more that I think about it... Hikaru's eventually going to want to marry... he's going to want a family of his own... he's going to want to be out of reach from me. Without Hikaru in my life... I am alone. Without Miranda... I'm even lonlier. _

Miranda's voice was gentle, yet her words began to sting Kaoru, "I'm going to marry Daigo and raise our child together."

Kaoru forced a smile, "I wish the best for you... just remember that I'll always be here for you."

~...~

Hikaru glanced at Haruhi, "Say Haruhi..."

"Hm? What is it?"

Hikaru's face was bright red, "Uh... I..." Haruhi moved a little closer to try to hear the words that he was trying to say out of his mouth. "Yeah Hikaru?"

At that moment, Hikaru pulled Haruhi closer to him and placed his lips upon hers. Haruhi was surprised with their sudden, first kiss, but quickly got swept away in the moment and closed her eyes. When Hikaru broke the kiss, he looked right into Haruhi's eyes, "I love you Haruhi." Haruhi was turning red in the face and she smiled, "I do too."

Hikaru couldn't help but pull her into another kiss. This time, she was expecting it.

~...~

Kaoru and Miranda sat in silence for another thirty minutes. Suddenly, Kaoru felt a slump on his shoulder, when he turned around, he saw Miranda had fallen asleep. Sighing, he tried to move the sleeping Miranda; however, he gave up on that after trying the first time. He eventually managed to have her slump off his shoulder, so that she was laying on the couch. He went into Hikaru's room, only to see Hikaru and Haruhi kissing. Smirking, he gave them both the thumbs up, "Congratulations~" Haruhi rolled her eyes and Hikaru proudly thumbs upped him back. "I'll leave you two love birds alone in a minute, but I was going to get a blanket, since Miranda suddenly fell asleep. Hikaru nodded and threw a blanket towards Kaoru, "Close the door on your way out." Kaoru laughed, "Not a problem... just for the record, I don't need to see two lovebirds snogging." Haruhi raised an eyebrow at the word 'snogging', while Hikaru laughed, "You're British now?" Kaoru shook his head, "Sometimes I wish..."

When Kaoru closed the door to Hikaru's room, he walked over to the sofa that Miranda was laying on. He gently placed the blanket over her. He then looked down at her sleeping face. He brought his hand and stroked the left side of her face gently. Then, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead. He lifted his head to look at her sleeping face again and sadly smiled. In a whisper close to her ear, he spoke "I love you Miranda." He wrote a small letter and placed it in her hands.

He then turned around and exited the apartment. Once he exited the apartment, he called up Hunny, so that he would have someone to talk to about the whole Miranda situation. One thing was for certain... he promised to himself that he would never get romantically involved with her.

~...~

When Miranda woke up, she noticed a small note in her hands. She then began to read it:

_Dear Miranda, _

_I wish that you and Daigo have the best life together. Even though I'm a close friend of yours, I can tell you in advance that I will not be able to attend the wedding; however, I'm more than willing to talk to you about your problems. I'll always be your unreplaceable friend. _

_Love, Kaoru._

Tears ran down Miranda's face as she read the note. She immediately stood up, "Kaoru?"

Hikaru and Haruhi were preparing dinner in the kitchen. When Hikaru heard his brother's name mentioned, he shook his head, "Sorry Miranda... Kaoru texted me that he'll be gone for a few days."

"Oh... thanks... I should probably get going now... I did promise Daigo that I would meet him for dinner."

Haruhi looked over at Hikaru and sighed, "I guess that nothing changed afterall..."

Hikaru shook his head, "That's where you're wrong Haruhi. I'm sure that Kaoru made a huge decision today... that decision of his impacted other lot of people. The couple watched as Miranda left the apartment.


	42. Chapter 42

**Author's Note: ** Manba is a gyaru fashion style in which the skin has a really dark tan and white makeup is placed around the eyes and sometimes in other places. As always thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty-Two.**

~...~

The next few months were extremely busy for the twins. Kaoru moved back in with Hikaru and they both began to brainstorm on new fashion statements.

Haruhi, on the other hand ended up being an apprentice lawyer for a large drug case. So, Hikaru and Haruhi weren't able to meet up much; however, they would find a way to at least have a small conversation on the phone.

Hikaru never mentioned the whole ordeal between Kaoru and Miranda. He knew that Kaoru was hurt badly from it, but at the same time, he knew that his brother had made some sort of peace with the situation.

Before the twins realized it, they were already prepared to enter another large fashion competition.

~...~

Kaoru hung up the phone and smiled towards Hikaru, "She agreed!"

Hikaru jumped up, "YES! It would've been horrible if she didn't... I don't know who else we could ask on such short notice."

Kaoru nodded, "And what's best is that we have the outfit in her size."

Hikaru nodded, "Though I wonder... if she'll be alright with this style..."

~...~

The next day, Kasanoda and Mei arrived at Hikaru's apartment. When Hikaru answered the door, he immediately ushered them into the room. Smirking, "So Casanova-kun... you must be whipped to be here..."

Kasanoda sighed, "Can't help it... I refuse to let my lady be alone with two devilish twins."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "Devilish?"

Mei shook her head, "You guys are ridiculous... Instead of teasing each other, can we get to work?"

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other, then shrugged, "Boring~" Kasanoda let out a small laugh, while Mei rolled her eyes, "You two never change... do you?"

Hikaru smirked, "I do believe that you're incorrect!"

Mei raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And why do you say that?"

Kaoru chimed in, "Because-"

Hikaru finished, "I've been dating Haruhi for a few months now!"

Mei sighed, "And I honestly don't understand what she sees in you..."

Hikaru frowned, "So cruel..."

Kasanoda sat down on the sofa, "So, what outfit did you two prepare for my girl?"

Kaoru placed some tea and snacks on the table, "Ah, it's a good one..."

Hikaru nodded, "Simply a masterpiece!"

Kaoru then walked out of the room and returned with a floral-printed, sweet lolita dress, "Ta-da!"

Mei twitched seeing the dress, "Are you for real?"

Hikaru nodded, "Kaoru and I don't fool around when it comes to fashion competitions. The theme was floral prints."

Mei frowned, "I can't wear something like that! It will clash with my beautiful makeup!"

Kaoru sighed, "And we placed so much time and effort into this..."

Hikaru sighed as well, "I guess that our company will forever be a failure Kaoru."

"Seems like it Hikaru."

Kasanoda looked at Mei and smiled, "Mei, I know that it's not your usual style, but if you want to become a famous model... you should at least try the other styles."

Mei grabbed the dress and nodded, "Fine..."

~...~

After the twins had worked on fixing up the dress so that it was runway acceptable, Mei and Kasanoda left.

While walking on their way home, Kasanoda looked at Mei, "Are you cold?"

A large fall breeze hit the two of them and she shivered a bit, "A little."

Kasanoda took off his top jacket and placed it around her, "Maybe this will help."

Mei blushed a bit, "Thanks..."

Kasanoda then looked ahead of them and spoke up, "I love your manba style; however, after seeing you without all that makeup on... seeing how you look naturally... then in a different style... even though it's different from your normal tastes... think that you're beautiful regardless."

Mei shook her head, "It's embarrassing..."

Kasanoda grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze, "I know that you'll do well Mei. This fashion competition is huge and I know that you'll be the most beautiful model out there."

"Thanks Kasanoda."

~...~

The next week, the twins arrived in Italy for the large fashion competition. Rather than several rounds, only six people were chosen to compete. The twins worked really hard on their design, then sent the design through mail to the competition. They were lucky to be chosen out of thousands of applicants.

The competition itself had only one round: just the few seconds to feature your model to the world. The top of the fashion industry was there, as well as press from around the world. As Mei entered the backstage area, Kasanoda made sure to hold onto her hand, "You'll be great."

Mei was shaking drastically, "There's so many important people at this event." Kasanoda kissed her cheek and smiled, "There are thousands of people here; however, I know that you can sparkle infront of them. Just be yourself."

Kaoru met with them backstage and smiled, "Kasanoda, sorry to do this to you, but I need to prepare your girlfriend for the event." Kasanoda smiled, then left the room.

Mei sighed as Kaoru grabbed make-up remover, "Kaoru... I'll let you know that this is the only time that I'll ever allow you and Hikaru to change my makeup style." Kaoru laughed, "That's fine with me. We're just happy that you agreed to help us out."

~...~

Hikaru entered the room with the dress, hair accessories, and shoes, "Mei-chan... please place this on." Mei nodded.

The twins then left the room so that she could get into the dress. Hikaru sat down and took out his phone. Kaoru smirked, "You miss Haruhi, don't you?" Hikaru sighed, "Yeah... we haven't seen each other in months... I just want to at least hear the sound of her voice before this competition." Kaoru laughed, "You're so whipped." Hikaru frowned, "Not whipped!" Kaoru finally stopped his laughter, "Why don't you call her?" Hikaru frowned, "The time difference sucks here! It's midnight where she's at." Kaoru smirked, "The glories of long distance romances..." Hikaru glared towards his brother, "Shut it!" "I was just joking with you..."

At that moment Mei stepped out of the room, "I need your help finishing up the rest of this please." The twins stood still, mesmerized by Mei's appearance. The look was way different than what she usually wore, but the specified lolita style that they created was more mature, which made Mei look like a lovely lady. The makeup that Kaoru gave her was the complete opposite of her usual makeup. Rather than dark skin, he lightened her skin. She almost had a porcelain style to her.

Mei sighed, "Can you please help me?" The twins both snapped out of it and nodded, "Of course!" Once Mei was completely in the outfit, Hikaru took a photo using his cellphone, "I have to send this to Haruhi later! She'll love it!" Mei frowned, "Don't go sending my photo to people!" Hikaru smirked, "Believe it or not, but this style suits you wonderfully."

~...~

When the competition started, not one designer was announced. Each of the models came out one by one for the runway. After each model was complete, the judges announced the designers one by one. Each of them appearing on stage.

The first four names weren't very familiar to Hikaru and Kaoru; however, the twins stood still when they heard the announcement for the fifth name, "And the new lead designer of the Hitacchin company... Miranda-" Kaoru froze as he watched Miranda step onto stage. His heart tugged at him. Hikaru immediately noticed his brother tense up, so he placed an arm around his shoulders, "Be strong Kaoru... remember we're competiting against her." Kaoru nodded, "It's just that... she's with Mom..." Hikaru made a fist, "And I won't forgive Mother for that decision either. I should've known that she would get her way... she doesn't give a shit about Miranda's talents... she only cares about the relationship between Miranda and Daigo... with the future Prime Minister being associated with the company... it's only natural that Mother wants that kind of attention." Kaoru's eyes were full of sadness, "I can't believe that she actually agreed..."

Of course, the last name to be called: "The Hitacchin Twins."

The twins both stepped up onto the stage. Kaoru was more in a daze, while Hikaru appeared extremely confident and a bit irritated.

Miranda's gaze reached Kaoru's and she immediately turned away from him. Kaoru grabbed his brother's hand on stage.

The judges began to explain to the audience how judging was determined and what not. Basically, an event that could take ten minutes had to be dragged out to over an hour. Hikaru looked into the audience, only to see his mother staring right back at them, smirking. It sickened him that she had an all-knowning look on her face; however, every time Kaoru tensed up, his gaze would drift from Yuzuha to his brother.

Kaoru took a few deep breaths, _I can't wait for this judging process to be overwith..._


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note: ** This story is nearing the end. I think that I'll be able to wrap up this story in the next chapter. If not the next chapter, I doubt more than two more chapters. Warning: this chapter uses the F word a few times & is drama filled. As always thanks for reading! :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty-Three.**

~...~

Yuzuha stared at the stage, awaiting the results of the competition. Hikaru stood tall, holding onto his brother's hand desperately. He could tell that Kaoru wasn't comfortable.

When the judges finally came to a concensus, the winner of the competition the previous year stood up onto the stage, "The winner of the competition is-" Before the name was released, all of the power suddenly shut off and a really loud bang noise was heard. The loud bang scared a large portion of audience members, which resulted in a large chorus of screams.

The power shortly afterwards turned back on. "As I was say-" A large, blood-curdling scream was echoing throughout the room. Only to send everyone into panic. A large group of audience members were standing, staring at a specific scene. Hikaru let go of his brother's hand and took a step forward, trying to see what had happened to cause such a commotion. He immediately felt sick to his stomach, dropping down onto his knees. Kaoru's face paled seeing the reaction of his brother. He walked over to Hikaru, "Hikaru, what's-" Before he could finish, his eyes widened with shock. As he glanced at the scene, he noticed their mother was shot to death. Tears began to well up in his eyes. "And to think that I was hating her right now..." He began to feel regret for the hatred he was holding to his mother.

While everyone was frantic about the murder that just occured, Miranda watched the twins. She didn't know what to do. Both Hikaru and Kaoru were both extremely important to her. She wanted to be able to comfort them; however, she had no clue how she could help out. She took a deep breath and began to walk over to Kaoru. Once she reached Kaoru, she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Kaoru..." Kaoru's teary eyes turned towards her. He couldn't speak, even though he wanted to.

~...~

Haruhi was home asleep, when suddenly a huge knock was heard on her door. The knocking woke her up, so she immediately rushed to the door. Once she opened it, she noticed Kyoya and Tamaki standing in-front of her. Her eyes widened seeing Tamaki for the first time after so long. Yet, before she could even process much of anything, Kyoya began to speak, "It's all over the news Haruhi!" Haruhi allowed the two men to enter her living room, "What is? Why are you two in panic?" Tamaki wrapped an arm around Haruhi, "Haruhi... I hate to be the bearer of bad news..." Tamaki broke out into tears, which led Kyoya to shake his head, "Sorry about him... he insisted to come break the news." Haruhi nodded, "Ok... instead of you both beating around the bush, please tell me what's going on."

Tamaki hugged Haruhi as tight as he could, "I'm sorry Haruhi... I'm really sorry..." Kyoya then spoke up, "It's the twin's mother. She was just murdered at that competition in Italy." Haruhi didn't know how to process the information. She knew that the twins weren't too fond of their mother's decisions lately; however, she knew that regardless of that, they both loved her unconditionally. Without even realizing it, she was already dialing Hikaru's number.

"H-Haruhi?" Hikaru's voice barely audible came through the phone. Haruhi could tell that he had been crying, "Hikaru. I just heard the news... I'm so sorry." Hikaru was silent on the phone, all Haruhi could hear were sobs. "I'm sorry and if there's anything that I can do to help you..." Hikaru wiped a few tears away from his eyes, "Actually Haruhi... it's asking a lot but... I just want to hug you."

Haruhi's eyes began to form tears, "I wish that I could grant you that wish..." Hikaru took a deep breath, "It's alright... a kiss will do."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "How can I kiss you?"

"Through the phone. I will be able to feel it."

Haruhi's entire face turned red as she stared at the phone she was holding onto, "This is embarrassing..."

Kyoya laughed as he faced Tamaki. A smile appeared on Tamaki's face, "I'm glad that of all people... I lost Haruhi to someone who deserves her."

Haruhi took a small gulp, then kissed the phone, "Did you get it?" Hikaru nodded as a small smile formed on his face. He then kissed the phone back, "I got it... thanks Haruhi. Kaoru and I will be arriving bac-" Hikaru immediately stopped talking as he heard Kaoru yell, "MIRANDA!"

"Hikaru? Hikaru! Is everything alright?" Haruhi was panicking. Tamaki immediately rushed over to Haruhi, "What's going on? Haruhi!"

Hikaru dropped the phone, leaving Haruhi to wonder what's going on.

~...~

A few minutes earlier, Kyoya turned on the news for a live broadcast. He was shocked to see the events playing out on the tv, "Haruhi... Tamaki... this is why you're not getting a response." He pointed towards the tv.

~...~

Miranda watched as Kaoru sobbed. She felt helpless, yet, since he was such a good friend of hers, she couldn't help but want to pull him into a hug. She was about to pull him in a hug when suddenly, she was stabbed in the back with a knife. Kaoru's eyes widened and he screamed her name as loudly as he could.

Instead of the majority of people paying attention to Yuzuha's dead body, the attention was turned towards Kaoru. Hikaru dropped his phone and began to run towards a figure rushing away, "Jan-Di! YOU BITCH GET BACK HERE!" Seul Jan-Di was running as fast as she could away from Hikaru; however, she was unable to outrun him. She ended up tripping, landing flat on her face. Hikaru immediately grabbed her and with hatred in his eyes, began to interrogate her, "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Jan-Di smirked as she looked at the stage with Kaoru trying to help Miranda with her wound.

Jan-Di let out a sick laugh, "Problem? You seriously think that I have a problem?" Hikaru wasn't thrilled with her, "SPIT IT OUT BITCH!" She smirked wider, "If it wasn't for those two, everything would be nice and smooth." Before Hikaru could say or do anything more, policemen got to the scene and began placing Jan-Di in handcuffs. She continued, "If your mother never egged that slut on, Daigo would be all mine and the Seul company would have no problems!"

Hikaru was disgusted with this woman, "How dare-" Jan-Di let out a chuckle, "Oh, it's nothing against you or your brother. I'm so sorry that you two have to go through such a horrible ordeal; however... if those two didn't get in my way, this never would've happened." With those words said, the police made sure to get Jan-Di out of there.

Hikaru then rushed over to Kaoru and Miranda. He was about to speak, when he noticed that it wouldn't be good to disrupt the scene.

~...~

Kaoru was holding onto Miranda as tightly as he could, not caring that her blood was getting all over his clothing. She was in pain, obviously, and could barely move. Whenever she tried to move, Kaoru whispered, "Don't move... it'll make things worse." She shook her head, "It's alright Kaoru." Kaoru cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?" She looked him straight in the eyes and gave out a peaceful smile, "It's what I deserve." Kaoru frowned, "You do NOT deserve this! NO ONE DESERVES THIS!" Miranda shook her head again, "Your wrong Kaoru... this is the punishment that I get for lying to myself." Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Miranda let out a small breath, "My feelings. I told you clearly that I'm going to marry Daigo." Kaoru's eyes began to tear up more. She continued, "But... in all honesty... I don't want to marry him... I said that, knowing that it was the right decision... but... I've always... always have been in love with you Kaoru."

Kaoru's heart sunk. The realization that if he came to term with his feelings earlier made him feel extremely guilty. "I'm..." Kaoru couldn't believe everything that was going on and as the medics arrived to help out Miranda, he brought her into a kiss. Once the kiss was broken, he spoke again, "You must live... because I'm in love with you too."

Miranda smiled towards him and as the medics began to move her, more blood was lost and she died. Kaoru noticed as her entire body changed. He tensed up and looked at the medics. One of them began to shake his head. Kaoru rushed over to them, "What's wrong?" The one medic spoke up, "She's dead." Kaoru froze completely, then dropped to the floor.

Hikaru then ran over to the medic, "What about the child?" The medics looked at Hikaru like he was nuts. Hikaru then yelled even louder, "THE CHILD! She was pregnant morons!" One of the medics placed an arm on Hikaru's shoulder, "Sorry Sir but... the development of the child wasn't enough for him/her to live."

Hikaru pushed the medic away from him and immediately rushed over to Kaoru, bringing him into a hug. Kaoru still wasn't able to move. The shock of everything that just happened, really hit him hard. One medic approached the twins, "It might be a good idea for us to take him to the hospital." Hikaru glared at the medic, "For WHAT? You all to destroy his life further!" The medic shook her head, "If he continues to be so shocked that he can't move, it's possible that he will lose his will to live... if that happens, it might be over. It's only proper that he gets medical attention now."

Hikaru looked at his brother. He could tell that there was nothing normal about Kaoru in this moment. Even though Hikaru also was shocked and hurt with everything going on, the reactions between the two were different. Hikaru could express his feelings without a problem, while Kaoru was doing just the opposite. In Kaoru's mind, he felt as if everything that had happened was all his fault. Yet, not a single soul in that room knew that.

After observing Kaoru, Hikaru slightly nodded his head, "Please take good care of my brother." With that said, he let go of Kaoru, grabbed his phone, and hopped on the ambulence.

"Haruhi... Kaoru's being admitted to the hospital... there afraid that he might go into some sort of mental shock... Mother and Miranda are both dead... I..." At this point in time, he couldn't try holding in his tears. He wanted to speak more to Haruhi, but instead, Haruhi did what she could to sooth him, "It's ok Hikaru... it's ok to cry."

Haruhi then turned towards Tamaki and Kyoya, "Get Mori and Hunny-sempai... all of us are going to Italy." Kyoya nodded as Tamaki clenched his fist, "Alright! This is operation help the twins out as much as we can!" Kyoya took out his phone and began to call the other two host club members.


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note: ** Second to last chapter. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for reading this. :)

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty-Four.**

~...~

Hikaru fell asleep in the hospital room holding onto his brother's hand. Kaoru, on the other hand, sat in the hospital bed, looking at his brother sleeping in the chair next to him. He had been sitting blankly in the bed for a few hours now. Nothing but the deaths on his mind.

~...~

When Hikaru woke up the next day, he was surprised to feel a hand gripping his other hand. He took a look at the hospital bed and noticed that Kaoru was asleep, still holding his right hand. Yet, when he looked at his left hand, he noticed a smaller hand. When he followed the arm, he noticed a sleeping Haruhi next to him. He was surprised to see her there. Not just surprised, he was happy to see her there. Just the fact that she showed up made him validate the fact that she truly does love him.

"Hikaru."

Hikaru turned around to the masculine voice coming from behind him. He was surprised to see his father standing there.

"Dad..."

His father's eyes were stained red and Hikaru could tell that he was all out of sorts. Yet, his father spoke up, "The doctor has spoken to me... Kaoru's going to be fine... he just might need some moral support from everyone." A sigh of relief overcame Hikaru, "Thank goodness."

His father then pulled a seat up, next to Hikaru, "Regarding your Mother's funeral..." Hikaru looked down at his hand holding onto his brother's. He then looked at Haruhi and tightened his grip on her hand, which caused her to stir a little bit in her sleep.

His father spoke up, "The funeral will be held next week in Japan. Kaoru's getting released today, so we can begin preparations." Hikaru nodded. His father then spoke again, "But there's something really important that you need to know."

Hikaru watched as his father pulled out a sheet of paper, "This is the will that your Mother made. There's a few things in here for you and Kaoru."

~...~

Tamaki, Hunny, Mori, and Kyoya were all out in the hospital waiting room. The twins' father asked them to leave the hospital room a bit earlier, which they did. Hunny stared blankly at the floor of the room, "I wonder how Hika-chan is..." Mori nodded and Tamaki spoke up, "At least he's blessed to have Haruhi by his side! With love, he will overcome everything!" Kyoya rolled his eyes, "He's dealing with a lot... I don't expect him to treat us warmly. Remember, his mother and friend just died. On top of that, his twin brother is in the hospital." Hunny nodded, "I'm concerned about Hika-chan... but I'm really worried about the state that Kao-chan's in..." Mori nodded, "If he's not blaming himself for everything, he'll be fine... but, in the off-chance that he thinks that everything is his fault, there might be a problem." Hunny nodded, "Which is why I'm really concerned. We all need to do our best to support both of them."

~...~

Hikaru sat still, his eyes wide with surprise, "Mother seriously left the entire company to me?" His father nodded, "She always knew that you wanted to compete against her... she always respected that about you, so she would come up with new ways to get your creativity going. She always loved playing devil's advocate... and yet, the entire time, she was only trying to make yourself as successful as possible. Before she went off to Italy, I remember her smiling towards me, telling me that this time for certain, you boys would take first place." Hikaru looked down at the ground, tears falling out of his eyes, "I can't believe that I've been so stupid..." His father shook his head, "Don't think that way... your Mother has always planned for you and Kaoru to take over the company. Nothing would make her happier in her grave than to see you both in-charge."

Hikaru nodded, "In that case, I will take place as the CEO and lead designer of the company."

~...~

Kaoru woke up and silently looked at his brother and father. Hikaru immediately pulled Kaoru into a hug, "I've been so worried!" And the father smiled, "Kaoru, thank goodness you're alright."

When Haruhi woke up, Kaoru looked straight at her, then at the hands of Hikaru and Haruhi entwined. A small smile appeared on his face. Haruhi then spoke up, "How are you feeling Kaoru?" Kaoru took a deep breath and tried to speak; however, nothing came out. Hikaru and the Father were beyond surprised with this action. Immediately, the father ran out to find a doctor.

Kaoru then grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen: _I'm not alright Haruhi... I'm extremely depressed that both Mom and Miranda are gone forever. I've realized that if I had noticed my feelings for Miranda from the start, no one would've died... _

Kaoru lifted the paper and showed it to Haruhi. Haruhi then began to get tears in her eyes, "That's not true Kaoru! You can't blame yourself for this!"

Hikaru backed Haruhi up, "She's right! It's all that Jan-Di's doing! She was a nut-case from the start!"

Kaoru shook his head and wrote some more: _If I was with Miranda... she never would've joined with Mother... she never would've been involved with Daigo... she never would've gotten pregnant... she never would've taken my heart and torn it into a million pieces... Mom never would've died... and... if only I treated Mom better... I've been very disrespectful towards her lately... if I didn't treat her like that... everything would've been better..._

Hikaru frowned while he cried. Haruhi tightened her grip on Hikaru's hand, "You can't think that way Kaoru. I promise you that none of it is your problem. Things like this happen... it's unpreventable... "

~...~

At that point in time, the rest of the host club joined in the room. Hunny smiled, "Kao-chan! Thank goodness you're ok!"

Kaoru's attention turned towards the host members and gave a small smile towards them. The twin's father bowed and left the room to leave Kaoru alone with his friends. Haruhi glanced back to see the father leaving, then placed her attention towards Kaoru. Hikaru, on the other hand, left the room and caught up with his father, "Hey Dad... I've got a question."

His father stood still and turned around, "What is it?"

Hikaru spoke a little quieter, "How did you know that Mom was the one?"

His father smiled fondly while looking up towards the ceiling, "I can't describe it... The only thing that I can figure is that I just knew."

Hikaru nodded, "Thanks."

~...~

Kaoru watched as Hikaru left the room, then smiled towards the host club members. He began to write on a sheet of paper: _Thanks for visiting everyone._

Hunny's face saddened seeing Kaoru not be able to speak, "You know what Kao-chan?"

Kaoru looked up towards Hunny.

"It's ok to be sad about these sort of things, but... it's not ok to blame yourself."

Kaoru frowned and began to write: _It is my fault though..._

Tamaki slapped Kaoru across the cheek, "Are you an idiot?"

Kaoru held his cheek and stared at Tamaki.

Tamaki's face was filled with tears, he then lunged over to Kaoru and hugged him, "Don't EVER blame yourself! I'm sorry for hitting you..."

Kaoru hugged Tamaki back, but still didn't say anything.

Kyoya then spoke up, "I always thought better of you Kaoru..."

Kaoru turned his attention to Kyoya.

Kyoya continued with a smirk on his face, "Just saying that I always considered you as the most levelheaded twin... but it seems that I was mistaken."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nosebridge, "It seems that as one gets older, they get wiser..."

Kaoru sighed.

Mori then sat down on the bed next to Kaoru, "What can we do for you?"

Kaoru looked over towards Mori, "Just be here."

The entire room stared at Kaoru.

Tamaki squealed, "You can speak again!"

Kaoru laughed, "I guess so..."

Haruhi smiled, "I'm glad that you're back to your normal self."

~...~

Kaoru sighed, "Actually Haruhi, I'm not one-hundred percent... but... one thing is for certain... knowing that I have so many people who care and keeps assuring me that it's not my fault really helps out."

Haruhi smiled.

Hikaru walked in at the same time as a nurse.

Kaoru looked at his twin and smiled, "I'm sorry to have worried you Hikaru."

Hikaru ran over to his brother, pushed Tamaki out of the way, and hugged him, "Don't ever become emo like that again!"

Kaoru hugged his brother back and whispered in his ears, "Don't worry... it'll never happen again."

The nurse looked at the twins, "Ahem... Kaoru Hitacchin... you're released from the hospital now."

Hunny smiled, "Say Kao-chan! To celebrate, why don't we get some delicious Italian Ice? Since we're in Italy..."

Kaoru nodded, "That sounds great... but... only after we all get some real Italian Pizza."

With that said, all of the host members left the hospital and headed to a rather expensive restaurant.


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Note: **Yay! Final chapter! Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read this fanfiction. This is the first fanfiction that I've made that lasted so long, so I'm really happy that I was able to finish it. :) I hope that you all enjoy the ending.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own like anything.

~...~

**Chapter Forty-Five.**

~...~

After eating in Italy, everyone made their way back to Japan. Once in Japan, Yuzuha's funeral happened. It was an extremely emotional time for the Hitacchin family. A few days after the funeral, Hikaru's father spoke to him, "Hikaru, next month there's going to be a press conference for your acceptance of the company..." Hikaru nodded, "Of course, I'm prepared to accept."

After hearing that news, Hikaru called up the entire host club, excluding Haruhi. They all met at his apartment, "Everyone... you're probably wondering why I'm calling you here... well, the reasoning is that I need your help in an important feat that will happen next month."

Kyoya smirked all-knowingly, while Hunny smiled, "What can we help you with Hika-chan?"

_A month later..._

Hikaru took a deep breath as he placed on his newly designed suit. He looked directly at his brother. Kaoru smiled, "Are you ready for this?" Hikaru nodded and Kaoru patted the back of his back, "Alright, let's do this!"

Tamaki entered the room that Haruhi was waiting in. "Haruhi..." Haruhi glanced over to see her ex standing there, "Eh? Tamaki-sempai... what are you doing here?" Tamaki handed over a box, "These are the clothes that the twins want you to wear today." Haruhi sighed, "I don't get why they need me to wear one of their newly designed dresses for this..." Tamaki smiled, "Well Haruhi! One, you'll look incredibly adorable! Two, not only is Hikaru accepting the position of CEO for the company, but he's also showing off the designs for the company's new line." Haruhi nodded, "I guess."

At this point in time, Mei entered, "Ah! Haruhi! So you are modeling as well!" Haruhi sighed, "Unfortunately..." Mei hugged her, "You'll do great! Just be yourself!" Tamaki nodded, "Exactly! What Mei-chan said!" Haruhi rolled her eyes, "So, why exactly are you here?" Tamaki posed like a price, "I've been asked to model as well!" Haruhi sighed, "You'd think that with a fashion company as powerful as theirs that they would get professional models..." Kasanoda entered the room, "I've been asked as well... Hikaru told me that he wanted to show the world that clothing is made for everyone, not just models are fashionable." Haruhi thought for a moment, "I guess I can see that..."

~...~

Hunny and Mori walked into the room. Hunny smiled, "Ah! Haru-chan! Hika-chan said that your outfit is the most important, so he has a specific role for you to play for this small fashion show." Haruhi cocked her head, "This is a fashion show now?" Mori shook his head, "It's not a fashion show. It's just an acceptance speech that happens to want to show off a new line of clothing." Haruhi sighed, "It's very formal clothing..." Hunny smiled, "Because Hika-chan said that several formal balls are held around this season!" Haruhi thought for a moment, "Oh..."

~...~

Before the press conference began, Ranka left Hikaru's room in tears, "I'm... so incredibly happy for you!" Hikaru smiled towards Ranka, "Don't be happy for me until the press conference is over." Ranka shook his head and wrapped Hikaru into a hug, "I'm very proud of you." He then let go, "Now, go get 'em!" Hikaru laughed and nodded, "I'll do my best."

With that said, Hikaru met Kaoru. Kaoru smirked, "So... how do I look?" Hikaru laughed, "Perfect." Kaoru nodded, "Let's get this over with." Hikaru nodded and ran off. Kaoru smiled and walked to his destination.

~...~

When the twin arrived on stage, there was a large audience, as well as a huge amount of press recording everything. He approached the microphone and observed the scenery. As a spot light appeared over him, he took a deep breath, "Everyone, thank you for coming today. My name is Hitacchin Hikaru and as of today, I will be the CEO of this huge corporation." He took a small breath and went into a large speech about what the company represents and what not. It wasn't anything interesting; however, it was one of those neccessary talks. Once he was done with the specifics, he took a small breath, "And to show the evolution of this company, I would like to showcase the new _Versailles Line_ that we're releasing. The Versailles Line is a line of formal wear that is made to make any man feel like a prince and any lady feel like a princess. Please enjoy this new line, which will be on sale starting tomorrow."

With that said, the lighting on the stage dimmed and Haruhi walked onto the stage. She immediately looked at the twin at the podium and shook her head. She mouthed towards the twin, 'Where is Hikaru?' Kaoru smirked and began to speak in the microphone, "This first dress featured is made of silk and features a slender frame. It's perfect for any lady that's trying to look elegant. The small flower details and beading are to give off personality." Haruhi spun around. On the stage, there were seven large boxes. Kaoru smiled towards the audience, "Underneath each box features a new outfit from the Versailles Line." Haruhi then walked over to the first box and flipped it over, to reveal Mori. Mori posed for the crowds as Kaoru spoke, "This simple black suit can be dressed up or down. It's perfect for a date, get-togethers, work, and several other occations."

Haruhi then went to the next box. She flipped it over to reveal Hunny, who was cross-dressing as a lolita woman. Haruhi blinked a few times with surprise. Hunny posed as cutely as possible, as he showed off the dress and his beautiful golden wig. Kaoru spoke, "For those precious ladies who love classy, yet poofy outfits, this dress the perfect match..."

After Hunny, Haruhi flipped the next box, which featured Kyoya in a dark blue suit. Then after that box, Tamaki cross-dressed in a simple little, black dress. It took every ounce of willpower for Haruhi to not laugh at that site. After Tamaki, she flipped the next box, which revealed Kasanoda in a very classy white suit. Then, Mei was in the next box wearing a one-sleeved golden slimming dress.

Haruhi then approached the last box. She flipped it over, only to see Hikaru wearing the exact same suit as Kaoru; however, the difference between Hikaru are the rest of the so-called models was that he was down on one knee and holding a beautiful diamond ring. He smiled as he looked at Haruhi, "Fujioka Haruhi... will you make me the happiest man by marrying me?" Haruhi gasped as she was taken by complete surprise by the entire scene. The audience were extremely entranced by the scene. Kaoru spoke up in the microphone, "I must apologize to everyone here... but, I lied earlier. I'm not Hitacchin Hikaru... I'm Hitacchin Kaoru... I disguised myself as Hikaru solely for this moment."

Hikaru continuously looked into Haruhi's eyes, waiting anxiously for a response. He was beginning to get nervous, since she wasn't answering. Yet, once she took a step forward, Hikaru noticed her eyes getting watery. He gulped and was prepared for a refusal to his proposal. Cold sweat started to appear on his neck and he glanced over towards his friends on-stage. Haruhi got down on both knees to his level and looked him straight in the eyes, "To be honest Hikaru... I knew something strange was going on when I saw Kaoru on-stage instead of you..." Hikaru let out a small chuckle. Haruhi continued, "But, I was prepared for a huge prank... not a proposal."

Hikaru shrugged, "Sorry to disappoint you for not pranking you but... Will you marry me?" Haruhi nodded her head, "Of course I'll marry you." Hikaru immediately placed the ring on her finger and pulled her into a hug.

Everyone began to clap. Kaoru smirked and snapped his fingers. At that point in time, dozens of rose petals began to fall from the ceiling. Hikaru pulled Haruhi into a kiss and once it was broken Haruhi looked into his eyes, "You did ask dad for permission, right?" Hikaru nodded, "He was jumping for joy earlier when I spoke to him before this whole spectacle... though, I must admit, I would marry you even if he didn't give me his blessing." Haruhi laughed, "How's that possible if I was to say no?" Hikaru frowned, "Are you saying that you had second thoughts?" Haruhi laughed. Hikaru sighed, "This is dumb... we just got engaged... I should be kissing you." With that said he kissed her again.

The End.


End file.
